The Night Beauty: Another Telling
by rukia23
Summary: Re-write of The Night Beauty. She was a Soul Reaper with a bright future. Things can change. One of the strongest Vizard, she must decide to help either the home that betrayed her & forced her out or those that changed her & started it all. Byakuya/Oc
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer-I don't own Bleach

~A/N~ This is a rewrite of 'The Night Beauty' with an alternate ending. Much of the content is essentially the same, just rearranged and revamped. While I used the original story, I have changed quite a bit. Hopefully, this new and altered version won't disappoint. Enjoy.

**Prologue**

**A Promise in the Dark**

People are cruel. There isn't a single person who can claim that this is a lie, even those who have experienced nothing but kindness. There are some who would say that the two emotions; cruelty and kindness, are the same, those are the ones who have black hearts that are sheathed in ice. The ones who justify their cruel actions by saying they were only trying to be kind and do the right thing. The fact that they are doing the right thing for only themselves by selfishly making others pay for their sins, doesn't bother them. In this corner of the world, you either kill or be killed and that's really all there is to it.

Anyone who witnessed the thin young woman with the short, dirt caked light blond hair and bloodshot blue eyes tugging a silver haired boy forcefully by the elbow and practically dragging a tiny white haired girl by her little dirt covered hand as she sobbed and struggled fruitlessly to break free of the painful grasp on her hand, would say that the woman was doing the right thing. That is to say anyone in the decaying town they were in would have thought so. Anyone who still had any fraction of a heart left in their bodies wouldn't have agreed.

The young boy, no more than ten years old, was struggling fiercely against the woman's grasp, his squinted eyes on the sobbing little girl as she was jostled carelessly, her tiny feet barely able to keep up with the pace that she was being dragged along at. She looked to be about four years old, she was small for her age and much too skinny in her ragged, overly large yukata. Her sobs echoed through the dark streets and the alleys that were the hiding place of all of the town's scum.

"Lemme go," the young boy demanded, attempting to pull his thin arm from the woman's hold and go to the sobbing girl, his baby sister.

"Shut up," the woman snapped frantically, her eyes shifting from side to side, searching the deep shadows that covered the disease ridden streets for any sign of life. She knew that it was useless, the people here had long since learned to make the shadows of night their friends, they wouldn't be seen unless they wanted to be seen. Her dirt covered nails dug into the boy's arm making him wince, but not give up his struggles.

It was late, the only light was the light given off by the sliver of the perfect white moon that hung suspended in the black night sky. A reminder to those in this dilapidated and rotting village that they could only gaze upon the surface of perfection, but they would never attain it. Perfection didn't exist in this far away and forgotten corner of the world, the only thing that existed here was the need to survive another day by any means possible. _Any_ means possible, even the unthinkable was acceptable here.

They had been walking through the dust covered town and its many winding streets for what felt hours. The little girl's feet were cut and bruised from the many times she had stumbled as she was pulled like a lifeless doll through the night. The boy wasn't faring much better, his feet were covered in dirt and cuts, but he was still able to walk and keep up with the woman who kept looking around her in paranoia. He may not have been the smartest person around, but he knew that her paranoia was a sign of her guilt over what she was doing.

Several yards ahead of them the darkness grew from a narrow street opening to a large black hole that didn't seem to ever end as it stretched into nothingness. The closer they got to the edge of the town where the buildings stopped, the larger the blackness before them grew, until it all but devoured them.

The two children were hauled into the darkness, their bare feet no longer on the over used and flat earth that made up the streets of the town, but instead sinking into the soft, mushy dirt that led into the forest that flanked the south side of it. It was the forest that haunted the dreams of the children who lived here. It was rumored that all that entered that forest never came back and that on some nights, if you listened hard, you could hear the howling of the hungry Hollows, soul eating monsters, that took refuge in the dense tree infested woodland.

By now, the little girl was struggling to stay on her feet, her sobs had quieted, but only because she was trying so hard to not trip and fall over the roots and vines that littered the ground as they entered the forest's boundaries. The little light given off by the moon wasn't enough to light their way, it couldn't penetrate the thick canopy of untamed leaves and branches that towered above them. It was utterly silent in the forest, as if the leaves and vines were smothering all sounds, even the sounds of their feet as they stepped on dead leaves and twigs.

There was a sharp scream that penetrated the quiet as the white haired toddler was pulled savagely forward and thrown to the ground harshly, her rag of a yukata tearing when her fragile body rolled over the ground and collided with the dead stump of a tree.

"Sayomi!" The little boy shouted, the lilt of an accent barely noticeable as he tried to break free of the grasp that held him firm. "Lemme go! Sayomi!" He shouted, he wasn't getting any response and he couldn't see the girl in the dark.

"You freaks aren't welcome," the woman hissed, roughly pulling the boy up to face her. "Don't ever come back here," she yelled before pushing the boy into the dirt and turning to run back in the direction she had come.

"B-brother?" A small voice called quietly, shaking with fear and most likely the hunger that made them outcasts and freaks.

"Where are ya, Sayomi?" the boy called into the darkness. He pushed himself off the ground, looking around with a frown as he tried to pinpoint where the hushed sobs of his little sister were coming from.

He made his way towards the sounds of her sobs and sniffles, occasionally he could hear her mumble his name between her sobs. The ground here was uneven, pitted and strewn with tree branches, and other obstacles that young boy didn't want to think too hard about. When he finally found the little girl huddled against a tree, crying into her knees, he sat beside her and hugged her, petting her matted white hair soothingly and shushing her softly.

"I'll protect you, no one will hurt you again. I promise."

After about ten minutes the little girl drifted off to sleep, curled up against her big brother who stayed awake, listening to the forest come back to life. The boy scooted closer to his small, shivering sister, protectively wrapping his arms around her as the sounds of animals scurrying around the forest floor filled his ears, there was the occasional growl and glint of red eyes, but the animals seemed to be more curious than anything to his relief.

* * *

><p>~AN~

You know the drill, please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach.

**Chapter 1**

**A Brief Glimpse of the Past**

"Is there something wrong with us, big brother? Is that why mama didn't want us anymore?" Sayomi asked while walking beside her older brother, her dirty hands clenched at her sides as she kept her light blue eyes on the ground in front of her.

"There's nothing wrong with ya. We're just different and some people don't like things that are different," he answered, patting Sayomi's dingy white hair and grinning at her.

"Why do you do that?"

"What?" He inquired in confusion.

"You're always smiling and your eyes are closed, silly. How can you see?" Sayomi asked as she smiled toothily.

"I smile 'cause I'm happy and I can see just fine, so don't ya worry your little head about it."

Sayomi made a face and stuck her tongue out. "I'm not little, I'm six now." She held up six fingers to emphasize her point and grinned happily.

Tilting an eyebrow at the young girl's proud display, the silver haired teen replied, "You're still just a brat that barely comes up to my elbow, I call that little."

Sniffing indignantly, Sayomi turned away to glare at the path ahead of them. She heard her brother chuckle at her in amusement, but ignored him and continued to trek silently beside him. It had been over two years since they had been left to fend for themselves in the dark of the forest and it had been almost two days since they had eaten anything. Their last meal had consisted of some nearly rotten fruit that they had found and nothing more. They had been walking for days trying to find another town so that they could steal some food and water from the people who didn't need it to live like they did.

"We have spirit energy, right?" Sayomi asked, forgetting about her attempt to be angry and stubborn.

"Yup, we're special and that's why we need to eat, unlike most of the people in the Rukongai."

"I heard that people with spirit energy become Soul Reapers, is that true?"

"Some of 'em," he replied.

"So are we gonna be Soul Reapers?"

Her brother shrugged. "Maybe, but you gotta get bigger first. You're too short, kid." He ruffled her hair and chuckled at the disgruntled growl he got from her as she swatted his hand away from her and crossed her arms over her chest childishly.

"Hey, Sayomi. Stop ignorin' me, there's a town up ahead." He nudged the brooding Sayomi with his elbow, but she only grumbled something unintelligible and wouldn't look at him. "Alright fine, I'm sorry for callin' you short... even if it's true. Don't glare at me, you're kinda scary when you're mad," he teased, hunching down in front of her while she continued to give him her idea of an angry look.

Over the years that they had been living in the streets and woods of the Rukongai, her brother had gotten taller and his hair had gotten longer, hanging around his face in wispy silver strands. He looked older, he was no longer the child who had been abandoned in the forest, he didn't look to be over thirteen, but the way he held himself was like an adult. Sayomi had gotten a few inches taller, but she was still very much a child with her still somewhat round face and her shoulder length white hair that framed her face, making her look like a toy doll.

"Come on, it looks like there's a river or somethin' too and you could use a bath," he said, holding his hand out to Sayomi who grudgingly took it and let herself be led off the dirt path they were on and on to the grass and into the forest to their right.

They walked parallel to the village until they came upon a shallow, but wide river. The water was bubbling and gurgling as it slid over the rocks on its course through the trees. There was a small alcove that had been created by a fallen tree and several large rocks, Sayomi let her brother lead her towards the hiding place. He crouched in front of her again, putting his hands on her arms and looking up at her with a grin.

"You stay here an' clean up, I'll go get us some food, alright?"

Sayomi frowned, looking down the river's bends in the direction of the town. "Why can't I go? You always leave me behind," she whined.

"Now what kind of brother would I be if I let my cute li'l sister steal stuff? And what if somethin' happened, I promised to take care of you, didn't I?"

She nodded, but she was openly pouting.

"And I'm gonna, so you stay here and take a bath like the good girl you are and I'll be back in a li'l while, k?"

"Ok," Sayomi sighed stubbornly. "Be careful."

"Of course, I'll be back soon. If anyone comes near ya, what do you do?" Gin asked.

"Kick 'em in the shins and run away and hide." Sayomi smirked when her older brother sighed and shook his head.

"How 'bout just runnin' away?"

"Fine, but that's no fun," she pouted.

"You're a handful, kid. How 'bout we save the fun for when you can actually reach people's shins, until then just run and hide."

"Why do you always pick on me? It's not very nice!"

"But you make such a cute face when you're mad," he replied, putting a hand on her head. "I'm gonna go now, if I'm not back before dark hide in one of the trees and stay outta sight until I come for ya."

"Alright," Sayomi agreed unenthusiastically as she watched her big brother walk away like she had so many times before.

* * *

><p>"Hey, are you alright?" Sayomi poked at the red haired girl on the ground with a concerned frown.<p>

The girl groaned and turned her head towards Sayomi, her blue eyes blinked open and stared up blearily. "Who..."

"My name's, Sayomi."

The girl, who was probably close to her brother's age, looked around in confusion. Her blue eyes didn't seem to want to focus when she blinked back up at Sayomi.

"Why are you sleeping in the street? It's not a very good place to sleep. There are some trees over there and they're probably more comfortable and there's not as much sun," Sayomi told her, pointing off to the right.

"Oh.. I.." The teen girl pushed herself into a sitting position with some effort and attempted to dust herself off a little.

"Sayomi? What did I tell you about talkin' to strangers?"

Sayomi looked over her shoulder at her older brother who was walking towards her with a frown on his pale face, he had his hands full of fruit. "But she was sleeping in the middle of the road."

Her brother walked up beside her and frowned down at the red haired girl who was looking up at him, it was obvious she was disoriented and tired. "Here," he said, offering the girl a large apple. "You probably need to eat."

The red head blinked at the fruit for a moment before reaching for it and muttering, "Thank you."

"So she's like us?" Sayomi asked, tilting her head back to look up at her taller brother.

"It would explain why she passed out in the street."

"If she's like us, then can she come with us?" Sayomi asked.

"We don't know her."

"So? She seems really nice."

Her brother frowned down at the red head. "Did you even ask her if she wanted to?"

"No," Sayomi pouted.

"I have my hands full taking care of you, I don't-"

"I can take care of myself," the red headed girl spoke up smugly.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Sayomi looked between the pair, sensing a sort of tension in the air, but it disappeared when her brother shrugged.

"Then I guess you can come along," her brother said. "If you want."

Sayomi grinned happily, following after her brother as he walked towards the trees they had been taking cover in for the past few hours before he had gone into the town for food.

The red haired girl stared after them for a moment, watching the young white haired girl who couldn't have been over eight years old skipping happily alongside her much taller brother. It took a moment of thought, but with nowhere else to go and no family of her own, she stood up and walked after the departing siblings.

* * *

><p>Sayomi was running barefoot down a dirt path lined with low bushes, weeds and small twisted trees. Her soiled white hair fanned out behind her as she ran and salty tears leaked from her soft blue eyes as frightened whimpers shook her tiny body.<p>

A cry escaped her lips as she tripped over a rock and went sprawling into the dirt. She tried to stand up again, but her little body was too tired. She fell back into the dirt, her palms bleeding and her knees aching from the impact. Whimpering in fear she used her dirty, bloody hands to wipe away her tears, streaking her pale face with dirt and smears of blood.

There was a horrible screech-like howl from behind her that shook the very earth beneath her. Another terrified whimper escaped her shaky lips, making her frail body tremble as she tried to scramble into the bushes on the roadside.

The ground beneath her was shuddering violently as loud roars kept penetrating the air. The tremors grew stronger every second as the thing making all of the noise grew nearer to her as she tried to crawl away to safety.

Trembling, Sayomi already knew what was behind her without daring to look back to confirm her fears. A monster. A monster that wanted to eat her because she was different from the majority of the people in this desolate place she lived in. She had never considered the Rukongai to be her home, she had never considered anywhere to be her home. A home was something that she could only ever remember dreaming about, but never having.

Managing to scramble into the bushes ignoring how they tugged at her hair and ruined clothes, Sayomi shivered and curled up hoping the monster would simply keep going on its way and leave her alone. A shadow fell over the roadside in front of her and with a body shacking sob, she looked up to see what looked like some type of bird with a white face and pointed nose. It had large taloned feet that made strange squelching noises in the dirt as it approached her hiding place.

The terrified Sayomi again tried to push herself to her tiny, dirty feet, but only made it halfway up before she was thrown through the air when something slammed violently into her chest. Her body collided with the rough bark of a tree and she sank to the ground in a heap, pain exploding in almost every part of her body.

Her last vision before she blacked out was of a man in white with graying hair, he was standing with his back to her, facing the monster that had chased her.

* * *

><p>"I think she's waking up now," someone said, the voice sounded masculine, strong.<p>

"The poor thing has been asleep for almost a week," another voice said, this one was feminine and soft.

Light blue eyes slowly fluttered open in confusion and uncertainty, they were met by warm brown eyes and a soft, welcoming smile.

Immediately, Sayomi became frightened and whimpered quietly, raising a small hand to rub at her eyes.

"It's alright, dear. You're safe," the woman who was leaning over her cooed reassuringly while brushing some stray hair gently from her forehead.

The woman had dark brown hair with a few streaks of gray and tanned skin, she was smiling kindly and her brown eyes were dancing with life.

"W-where am I?" Sayomi asked quietly, timidly while her eyes darted between the two people in the room hesitantly.

"You're at our home. My name is Mai Himura and that over there is my husband, Hiroshi Himura," the woman answered as she nodded towards a large man that was leaning against the wall by the doorway.

"What happened to...to the monster?" Sayomi asked shakily.

"Don't worry about the monster. It's gone," Mai replied with a soothing smile.

"What about my brother?" Sayomi asked, rubbing at her blue eyes again and sniffling. "And Ran?"

Mai looked surprised and glanced at her husband who just shook his head.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I don't know. Do you have family somewhere in the Rukongai?" Mai asked.

"No, ma'am." She shook her head and sat up slowly. "Just my brother, and Ran too, but I got lost a few days ago and couldn't find them. Then the monster tried to eat me," Sayomi's blue eyes began to fill with tears as she spoke.

"Shhh. It's alright now," Mai said softly to the upset child, rubbing her back like any mother would to calm their own child. "Where were you living, dear?"

The little Sayomi shook her head and rubbed her tears away with bony fists. "We didn't live anywhere. We don't have a home. Mama didn't want us."

"I see. What is your name, little one?" Mai asked as she pushed a strand of the girl's white hair from her pale cheek.

"S-Sayomi, ma'am," she sniffled.

"Well, Sayomi... Would you like to live here with Hiroshi and I?"

Sayomi's face brightened for a moment, before falling into a frown. "But what about my brother?" Sayomi asked."And Ran?"

"If we find them, they can stay too. How does that sound?" Mai suggested happily.

Sayomi nodded vigorously and smiled brightly. The idea of having a real home, a real family was one she had only ever dreamed of. She had been happy with her brother, but she had always wanted to be like the families she saw when they would pass through the many villages of the Rukongai. They were only children though, children with no one to look after them or to help them. They had had to fight to survive and while her brother had always done his best to keep her clothed, warm and fed she wanted something more than sleeping in the trees and eating what they could scavenge.

"Alright. It's settled then," Mai said with a smile as she stood up from the bed. "We should get you cleaned up and fed. Sora."

A moment after Mai had called, a young woman appeared in the doorway.

"Yes, Mai-sama?" The woman asked as she bowed.

"Would you please help Sayomi here in getting bathed and dressed?" Mai asked.

"Of course, Mai-sama."

"Sama?" Sayomi said slowly as she gazed, wide-eyed at Mai.

"Yes, Sayomi, sama. You will be Sayomi-sama soon. You will be a Himura, and that means you are a noble, and must learn to act like one. Do you think you can do that?"

Sayomi nodded her head vigorously and grinned toothily up at the woman.

"Good, now let Sora help you bathe and dress. Once you're done she'll fetch you some food, I'm sure you're hungry," Mai said, before laughing lightly when Sayomi's eyes brightened at the mention of food, "After that you should get some more rest."

"Yes, Mai-sama," Sayomi answered, with a small, awkward bow.

Mai patted the girl on the head and smiled before walking to where her husband stood near the door. He was a large man, nearly six feet tall, lean and muscular. He had graying brown hair and pale brown eyes.

The couple exited the room and slid the thin door shut behind them.

Once the two had left, Sora, who was a woman of about twenty years old, with short blond hair and blue eyes walked up to Sayomi and smiled.

"Come along, Sayomi-sama, we need to get you nice and clean," the woman said cheerily as she held out one of her hands for the girl to take.

Sayomi frowned up at the woman and didn't take the offered hand.

"What's wrong?" The woman asked, leaning down so that the two of them were eye to eye.

"I'm a sama now?" Sayomi asked, her little face seemed to be confused and was scrunched up a little.

"Yes, you're a sama now," Sora answered as she tapped Sayomi playfully on the nose. "You are Sayomi Himura-sama. You are the daughter of Hiroshi and Mai Himura-sama."

"But I'm not their real daughter, wouldn't they like to have a real daughter instead of me?" Sayomi asked.

Sora's face fell slightly and she bowed her head. "That's enough questions, Sayomi-sama, let's go and get you in the bath."

Sayomi looked disappointed at not having received an answer but she nodded her head and took Sora's hand.

* * *

><p>~AN~

The fun starts soon, kids. It's a little slow at the moment, but that will change in the coming chapters. As was mentioned in a few of the replies I sent out the next several chapters are completed so there won't be much of a wait for them, I'd say about a chapter per week at the moment. Unless of course someone bribes me to post sooner. :)

I tried to reply to everyone that reviewed the first chapter, but if I missed you please don't take it personally it wasn't intentional. Just in case though, thanks go out to... WinglessDreams, setsuka510, KizunaCho, XxXLIFEafterDEATHXxX, HDC 123, Ms. Lucky1322, and lost feather... Your reviews were all greatly appreciated.

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 2**

**Into the Present**

Bright blue eyes fluttered open and looked around in confusion, the small dark room wasn't the same room she had been in moments before. Then she was no longer a child either, she was nearly two hundred years old, young by some standards and ancient by others.

'Just another dream,' she thought as she rubbed at her tired eyes with delicate, pale fingers. 'Well, a memory, anyways.'

* * *

><p>The small, silver chain on her wrist with its blue ribbon laced through it that was tied in a neat bow to keep it on tinkled softly while she tugged in annoyance at the hem of a pleated gray skirt. Straightening up with a frustrated sigh she frowned at the red tie that was secured at the base of her throat. With yet another sigh she shrugged on a beige sweater vest over a white button up shirt and pulled her long white hair out of it.<p>

Slipping on a pair of brown shoes over her white knee high socks the small girl grabbed a black book bag that was by her door and left the tiny room that made up the entirety of her home.

'_I really don't understand why you waste your time going to school_,' a voice said to her, it was a calm, cool voice, like the first soft blow of wind that signified winter had arrived.

The pale girl rolled her icy blue eyes while adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder so it was no longer pulling at her long hair that had gotten trapped beneath it.

'It's not like I have anything better to do with my time,' the girl retorted.

'_You could always go back to them_,' the male voice suggested to her.

Another sigh escaped the girl's pink lips as she brushed a few strands of her elbow length white hair from her face. 'I refuse to go back, and you know it,' the girl replied haughtily.

'_More like you're too stubborn,_' came the quiet, snide reply.

'Fuyu,' the girl warned, trying to smile at a passerby who was looking at her oddly. Her conversation may have been taking place only in her mind, but that didn't keep her from scowling openly and frightening the people walking by her on the sidewalk.

'_Fine, fine. But really, Sayomi-sama, do we have to go?_' Fuyu asked, though it was quite close to a whine. An arrogant whine, but a whine nonetheless.

'Honestly, Fuyu, it's not that bad. It gives us something to do to pass the time, and we have enough of it,' she sighed.

'_At least_-' The voice cut off as Sayomi stopped abruptly on the path that she was walking along.

She was only a few houses away from the school, standing in the shadow of one of the trees that lined the street.

'_Sayomi-sama, are you alright?_' Fuyu asked worriedly.

'That girl,' Sayomi replied airily, staring at a girl that was maybe only an inch or two shorter than herself with black hair. The girl's back was to Sayomi as she walked up to the gates of the same school she was headed for. 'Her reiatsu is the one I've been feeling, but it's different now. Almost nonexistent.'

'_A Soul Reaper_,' Fuyu stated, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

'Yes, she's a Soul Reaper, but what is she doing in a gigai and school uniform?' Sayomi mused thoughtfully.

The black haired girl paused at the gates leading to the school's courtyard and slowly turned her head in Sayomi's direction. When the girl's purple eyes landed on the shade beneath the tree she had thought there was someone under, there was no one there, just a few brown and green leaves skidding along the concrete.

'_You're not going to school?_' Fuyu inquired as Sayomi walked down an alley that led away from the school and back into the residential area surrounding it.

'No, I'm going to see Urahara. That girl had to have gotten the gigai from him so he most likely knows who she is and what she's doing here. There's another spiritual pressure too... I first noticed it last night, but.. It seems very familiar, don't you think?'

'_It does, but I can't seem to place it._'

Sayomi walked a few minutes before coming to a neighborhood of apartment buildings. She walked along the path that was lined on either side by fences or the walls of the apartment complexes, and was dotted with a few benches and trash cans.

She stopped at an opening in a brick wall and turned into it. Before her was a rather nondescript two story building with a little banner that proclaimed it to be the Urahara Shoten, the neighborhood candy shop. Walking up to the sliding doors of the entrance the girl lifted a small, pale hand and slid one of the doors open.

Inside the doors was a series of shelves that held an assortment of candies and other sweets and snacks. Entering the shop and shutting the door behind her, she approached a raised platform that led into the rest of the building that served as a house. Slipping off her shoes and pushing them aside, she was about to step onto the platform when she heard footsteps from the back of the shop and stood impatiently, tapping her white clad foot against the wooden floor.

A tall, muscular man wearing glasses and an apron walked into the room. "Ms Himura, what can I do for you today?" the burly man asked when he laid eyes on the white haired girl.

"Hello, Tessai. Is Urahara available?" She asked politely, her voice quiet and soft, reminiscent of falling snow. For though it was calm now, it could be cold and unforgiving at times.

"I'm afraid that he-"

"Well, well what have we here," a man chirped jovially as he walked into the interior of the shop. He wore a green and white beach bucket hat over his messy blond hair and dark green hakama and kimono top, over which he wore an open black robe.

Sayomi quirked a thin brow at the man whose eyes where hidden in the shadow of his hat.

"Ahh, Sayomi," the man sung upon laying his eyes on the irritated white haired, blue eyed girl.

"Kisuke, I believe Tessai was in the process of trying to get you out of having to see me," Sayomi said coldly.

Kisuke shivered as she spoke but quickly shook it off and smiled brightly.

"Well I'm here now. So how may I help you, beautiful lady?" Kisuke asked her pleasantly as he whipped out a little fan and covered part of his face as if embarrassed.

"You know why I'm here," she stated blandly.

"Ah, yes well, how about some tea?" the blond offered.

"Fine, but I want answers, Kisuke. I'm not in the mood to see how well you're able to avoid anything that's asked of you."

She followed the store owner and the large man to the back of the shop and sat down on a red cushion that was set before a round wooden table.

"I suppose you sensed the changes in spiritual pressure?" Kisuke asked conversationally.

"Yes, I had sensed an unfamiliar spiritual pressure in the area lately, but last night it died down and was replaced by another. This one is stronger, and seems to be uncontrolled," Sayomi replied as Tessai set a little green tea kettle on the table as well as two red cups.

Sayomi poured herself a glass of the hot green tea and waited for Urahara to reply.

"And what is it you wish to know?" He asked curiously, sipping his tea.

"As I was walking to school this morning I saw a new student, she had short black hair, purple eyes, a little shorter than me... Which is pretty impressive," the girl muttered as an after thought, before continuing. "Sound familiar?"

Urahara seemed to think about the question for a moment while tapping his fan against his chin, "Nope, not at-"

"Don't lie to me, Urahara. Do you remember the last time?" Sayomi asked, her voice unnaturally calm, in a way it almost sounded as if she were singing.

A visible shiver made its way down Urahara's back and Sayomi repressed a satisfied smirk while lifting her tea cup to her lips.

"Well," she pressed after taking a small sip of the warm beverage and lowering the cup back to the table top.

"Oh, I remember now," he replied sheepishly, scratching at the back of his head in a way that reminded Sayomi of a baboon.

"I thought you might. Who is she?"

"It wouldn't be right to give away information about my customers, I would lose their trust," Urahara answered dramatically.

A sudden stir of wind swept through the room, lifting Sayomi's hair off her shoulders briefly before it settled back down.

"I'm not in the mood for your games, Urahara. Who is she? She's a Soul Reaper, correct?" Sayomi pressed.

"Um, well," the man replied as he rubbed at his neck uncomfortably.

"So she is," Sayomi stated. "What is she doing in the living world? In one of your gigai none the less."

"Well..."

Another stir of freezing wind swept through the small room making Urahara chuckle nervously.

"She was sent to watch over Karakura town, but things went wrong and she accidentally... gave her powers.. to...someone," he replied evasively.

"I see. That explains why she seemed so weak, she's recovering. It also explains the strange surge in reiatsu I felt last night. Who did she transfer her powers to? The reiatsu seems strangely familiar to me."

"I don't know."

"You're lying again," Sayomi accused darkly.

Urahara waved his hands around in front of him frantically while stuttering out a denial.

"Never mind, I'll figure it out on my own. Now stop your whining," Sayomi ordered, annoyed by the man's act of fear. She had known him long enough to know he wasn't one to fear anything easily, but he liked to have his fun by being overly dramatic and enthusiastic any time a suitable situation presented itself to him. Which was nearly anytime he opened his mouth.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" Urahara inquired after a few moments of silence during which time the two sipped absently on their tea.

"I don't go because I have to, you know," Sayomi answered with a sigh. "I go because I'm bored."

Kisuke's eyebrows rose. "Bored?"

"Yes, bored," she repeated, eyes focused on her tea. "Ever since I came to this stupid world I've been bored."

"You miss the Soul Society," he observed, watching as a muscle in Sayomi's cheek twitched.

"I miss the life I could have had... that I should have had," Sayomi answered quietly, still looking into the green tea before her.

"Yes, don't we all," Urahara agreed soberly.

They sat in silence for a little while sipping casually at their tea.

Urahara sighed contentedly. "What are you going to do?" he asked.

Sayomi frowned. "I hate Soul Reapers," she said quietly.

"Do you? Or are you just trying to convince yourself you do?"

The muscle in her cheek twitched again. "I hate Soul Reapers," she repeated.

"Even though you were one?"

She sighed heavily and blinked into her tea cup. "That was a long time ago," she answered wistfully.

"Not that long ago," Urahara replied.

"Perhaps. I think for now I'll avoid her. I don't need anyone alerted to where I am," Sayomi said as she stood up from the table.

"What about the others?" Urahara asked.

Sayomi scoffed. "_They_ won't cause trouble unless it's beneficial to them. It's too likely to draw unwanted attention if they do. They won't be interested in some run away Soul Reaper, her presence doesn't require anything other than a little extra caution on our part. As for whoever this girl transferred her power to... They're strong and that will get their attention, but they won't do anything. Except perhaps keep an eye on them. Soul Reapers aren't our allies after all."

"They aren't your enemies either."

She stared at Urahara for several long moments before shaking her head and exhaling a tired breath. "That depends entirely on whether or not the order to execute us on sight still stands, now doesn't it?"

Urahara chuckled. "I suppose."

"I don't know what's going on, but I know you've had a hand in it.. Don't do anything reckless, Urahara," she said as she made her way to the exit.

"I would never," the man replied in mock offense.

Rolling her eyes, Sayomi exited the shop and walked around the town for a few hours until a flare in reiatsu caught her attention.

"It's the same as last night, and the one I've been feeling all day," she said as her eyes roamed the streets.

Without hesitation she ran up the block until she came to a fenced in kid's play park. She saw a spider like Hollow chasing the soul of a small boy that for some reason hadn't found its way to the other side after his death. She was behind the spectacle, covered from view by the shade of a few trees and a short block wall. She could only make out the Hollow and the feet of the little boy.

There was the sound of two people running, their voices raised as they argued amongst themselves. The Hollow let out an angry roar, the little boy fell backwards sobbing in fright. Not a moment later the Hollow's roar ended abruptly and it began to disintegrate. When it had completely disappeared Sayomi saw the source of the spiritual pressure she had first noticed the night before as well as the little black haired girl she had seen earlier at the school. The one wearing a gigai of Urahara's design.

She recognized the orange haired teenager with the black haired girl as one of her classmates and sighed. He was not currently human, his soul had parted temporarily from his body and he wore the standard uniform of a Soul Reaper. He even carried an oversized sword, what appeared to Sayomi to be his zanpakuto. Every Soul Reaper had one, the shapes and sizes varied, as did the abilities, but they all served the same purpose; to defeat Hollows and send the souls of the dead to the Soul Society so they could be at peace. Soul Society, another world, a world for those that didn't belong in the world of the living. A world of spiritual beings. A world that wasn't supposed to interact with the world of humans.

"Ichigo, what have you gotten yourself into?" Sayomi muttered as she watched him perform Konso, Soul Burial, on the small child. The little boy's soul, now at peace, melted away until a single black butterfly could be seen flying up into the blue sky heading for the Soul Society.

Watching as the two remaining people left the park, Sayomi frowned thoughtfully after them wondering just what Ichigo's new ability to become a Soul Reaper would mean to those who were trying to avoid the eyes of Soul Society that would like be quite interested in him and the girl who had bestowed her powers to him.

After looking at the spot where she had seen Ichigo perform the Konso on the young boy, Sayomi sighed and turned away from the park. She walked back to her little apartment that was in a more run down part of Karakura Town. Walking up the shoddy, creaky steps to the second floor of her building that looked as if at one time been quite nice, but had been left uncared for too long so that the paint was peeling and there were water stains on parts of the ceiling from leaks that were ignored. Unlocking her wooden door and pushing it open, she stepped into her apartment, if the single room could have been called that.. She had a bed roll off towards the back under the one window in the room, and there was a little kitchen area with a small fridge to her left, and a little bathroom to her right. If she hadn't been as small as she was she doubted she would have fit in the cramped space.

Walking over to the fridge, she grabbed a bottle of water and then sat down on her bed roll in deep thought.

'_What are you going to do, Sayomi-sama?_' Fuyu asked.

'I really don't know. I want to avoid her at all costs while she's here, but something tells me that Urahara is up to something. When isn't he though?'

'_Will you just remain here then__?_'

Sayomi sighed and shook her head. 'No, I'll probably visit the others.'

'_I'm sure they would like that._'

'It's been awhile and I'd like to see them again... Some of them, anyway. That and it's been a long time since they've tried contacting me. Meaning that they have either not gotten any new information or they no longer feel the need to consult with me,' Sayomi replied.

'_So they likely have no new information then?_'

'Yes. They wouldn't make a move without my knowing and if they did they know there would be consequences.'

'_For one so small, you really are a little scary sometimes_,' Fuyu stated.

'Fuyukaze,' Sayomi snapped.

'_See,_' he chuckled.

The white haired girl growled. 'Well, for a zanpakuto you talk a lot.'

By them or they Sayomi and Fuyukaze were referring to the Vizard, or the Masked Army, as they were called. They had all been forced out of their home, the Soul Society, nearly a hundred years before. They had then taken refuge in the world of the living. Waiting, and watching. It had not been a simple mistake, or bad decision that had landed them in the predicament that they were in. Instead, it had been a traitorous and vile act by a fellow Soul Reaper that had triggered a reaction within them all. This reaction had awoken evil beings deep within their souls. Beings that were the opposite of what they stood for as Soul Reapers.

Their inner Hollows.

Kisuke Urahara had been able to help them before they had fully been taken over by their inner Hollows, but they then had to learn to suppress them. To beat down and then how to harness the power of the beings inside them so that they could use it and become stronger.

To say the least it had not been easy. They were no longer simple Soul Reapers, they weren't Hollows either, they were something else entirely. They were contradictions. They were Soul Reapers that could use the powers of their inner Hollows at will.

They called themselves,Vizard, masked army, because they were able to manifest the mask of the Hollow that lie trapped inside them. The mask of their inner Hollow gave them strength beyond what they had had, made them faster and gave them skills and abilities that Soul Reapers lacked.

However, a new race, especially one so powerful, was not easily accepted. To Soul Reapers, Hollows were the enemy. So what do you do when your friends, your leaders, and even some of your nobility are suddenly able to use powers that only a Hollow should be able to use?

There was only one thing to do in the eyes of the Soul Society.

Fear.

You fear them because they are not like you. They are something that should not exist. Abominations. In the eyes of Soul Society's rulers abominations should not exist. They should be destroyed entirely.

This being said it is easy to see why the Vizards would hate Soul Reapers, some don't feel as strongly as others, but the majority can't forgive the injustice done to them. They were forced from their homes to hide in a world they didn't belong in. A world that they had to avoid or risk someone noticing how they didn't age like normal humans, or how they could do things humans shouldn't be able to.

The Vizards have accepted their fate despite that. Most embrace the new found abilities they were given. Why wouldn't they though? They are stronger than almost any other being, and they know that in the end that extra strength will help them to defeat the ones who forever changed their lives.

* * *

><p>~AN~

And now the original story line will be much more prominent for awhile. Again, it is by no means the same story. I've changed quite a bit of the content and edited it as well. So hopefully it will be much more enjoyable and those of you who have read the original will hopefully also find this version to be enjoyable and not too repetitive.

Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers: XxXLIFEafterDEATHXxX, Leyshla Gisel, KizunaCho, Ms. Lucky 1322, and Setsuka510. You are all super duper awesome!

Review ALL the stories!

Well, at least mine... Did anyone even get that? Or am I the only meme fan...


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 3**

**Unhappy Reunions**

A small white cat wearing a silver chain link collar with a blue ribbon laced through it ambled along the warehouse district of Karakura town. It was following a path that led to the older, more run down warehouses. The ones that were no longer in use and that people rarely ever ventured near. The buildings here had broken windows and graffiti on their chipped and cracked concrete walls.

The white cat sauntered up to a seemingly empty space between two large warehouses. It then observed the way that the ants and even some birds seemed to avoid the area around the empty space. Cocking its little head to the side, the cat stood back up and walked towards the empty space.

It had walked about five feet when it suddenly vanished.

Before the cat now stood a tall concrete building, it was about four stories high and there was a broken and dirty multi-paned window above the large roll up door that dominated the front of the structure. The door was currently partially open and without hesitation the white cat padded silently into the warehouse.

The interior of the building was rather dark and dull, small specks of dust could be seen floating freely through the air. At one time it appeared that the building had three other floors aside from the ground floor, but now the upper floors were in ruins. Slabs of broken concrete jutted out of the walls, running in jagged lines across the length of the warehouse.

Walking further into the warehouse the little cat came upon a group of eight people. Each one looked as different as the next and they were all doing something different to occupy their bored minds.

At a square table off to the left were three men. One, a man with sunglasses and a spiked afro, was reading through a manga. Another, a long wavy haired blond man sat fiddling with the strings of an acoustic guitar. The other man had short grayish white hair and appeared to be flipping through a magazine with little interest.

In front of the table, a few feet away, was a green couch. On the couch was a man with chin length blond hair, he was lying on his back with his hands behind his head, he appeared to be sleeping peacefully. There was a large man in a light colored tuxedo with very short pink hair off to the far right, his head was bowed into his chest as if he were asleep. On the floor lay a girl with bright green hair and a white bodysuit, she too seemed to be asleep and was mumbling incoherently as she rolled around on the floor.

On the floor above, leaning against one of the concrete pillars that had at one time held the floors up, sat a girl with braided black hair, she wore a school uniform that was different from the ones you would normally see in the area. She had her face hidden behind a magazine.

The eighth and final person was a short blond girl with pig tails. She was sitting cross legged against the far side of the couch, all that was visible of her from where the cat stood, was her blond hair.

Strolling noiselessly over to the table the cat jumped into the lap of the grayish haired man.

"What the-" The man nearly threw the cat off his lap in his surprise, but when he saw the cat he settled for glaring angrily down at it.

"What's up, Kensei?" The man with the spiked afro asked as he glanced up from his manga.

"Nothing, Love, just Sayomi being a pain in the ass again," Kensei hissed as he continued to glare at the cat that had hopped onto the table from his lap.

The wavy haired blond man stopped strumming at his guitar to look over at Kensei and then to the cat on the table. "Oh, hello, Sayomi," he said to the cat, smiling warmly.

"Meow," was the cat's perky response as well as a slight flick of its long tail that was reminiscent of a wave.

"Yeah, hey, Sayomi. Long time no see," Love said to the cat.

Another meow followed the greeting.

"Sayomi's here?" The green haired girl that had moments ago been rolling around on the ground asleep called happily, popping up from the floor and onto her feet in her excitement.

"Eh, waz going on?" The blond on the couch asked as he rubbed at his eyes tiredly before stretching and yawning lazily.

"Shinji, Sayomi's here," the green haired girl giddily informed him as she walked past him to the table that cat had sat down upon.

"You musta been dreamin', Mashiro. Sayomi hasn't been here in awhile," the blond haired Shinji replied as he pushed himself up into a sitting position and leaned against the back of the green couch.

Mashiro snatched the cat off of the table and held it at arms length as she skipped over to Shinji.

"She's right here. See," Mashiro stated as she shoved a rather angry looking cat in Shinji's face.

There was a sharp hiss and a small growl before the cat lashed out and whacked the blond in the nose with it's paw.

Yelping loudly in surprise and pain, he clutched at his now bleeding nose. "Get that damn demon away from me!"

"That's not very nice, Shinji," Mashiro scolded as she dropped the cat from her grasp to put her hands on her hips.

Landing on its feet, the cat shook itself off before walking back to the table. Jumping back tabletop, the cat ignored the glare she was still receiving from Kensei and settled herself into a ball, her tail flitting up and down rhythmically.

"What the hell is she doin' here?" The pig tailed blond snapped angrily, jumping up from her spot beside the couch.

"Don't push your luck, Hiyori," the girl on the floor above called down blandly, her face was still stuck behind her magazine.

"Shut up, Lisa," Hiyori shouted. "She can't just come waltzing back in here like nothin' happened, she isn't wanted here, is she?"

When the blond girl got no response from anyone, she bristled and walked over to the table. She glared down at the cat that just ignored her and closed its eyes, continuing to flick its tail about in a soothing, rhythmic motion.

"What the hell do ya think yer doin' here, Sayomi?" Hiyori spat at the cat.

The cat made no attempt at a response only continued to lay quietly as if asleep.

"I'm askin' ya a question, ya stupid furball," Hiyori shouted.

"Hiyori," Shinji groaned from the couch.

"What the hell, Shinji? You can't just let her come back without knowing what the hell she wants from us," Hiyori shouted.

"Would you shut up," Kensei growled in annoyance.

"Is everyone just gonna take her side-"

"No one's taking sides, Hiyori. Now calm down," Shinji grumbled, standing from the couch to approach the table as well while sticking his hands in his pockets.

As Shinji neared the table, the cat's blue eyes opened and watched him cautiously.

"What are ya doin' here, Sayomi?" Shinji asked the cat with a sigh.

Lifting its head, the cat eyed Shinji with bright blue eyes, its tail continuing to flick rhythmically. "I'm still apart of this group, whether you like it or not. Therefore, I don't need a reason, Shinji," the cat spoke haughtily as it locked its blue eyes with Shinji's pale brown ones.

"So you felt it too?" He asked casually, scratching at his cheek boredly.

"Yes," the cat replied with slight irritation, her tail twitching a few times in annoyance.

"So you were scared? Is that it, Sayomi?" Hiyori snorted crossing her arms indignantly over her chest.

Ignoring the blond girl's out burst, Sayomi stood up and walked onto the table top. She sat near the edge and looked up at Shinji. "A Soul Reaper transferred her powers to a human and she is now in a gigai recovering. Apparently, she decided to attend school while she recovers here," Sayomi explained.

"Weren't you going to the human school too?" Kensei asked.

"Yes, but seeing as how I really would rather not be so close to a Soul Reaper, I thought it would be best to put some distance between us," she replied arrogantly.

"What about the human she transferred her powers to?" Shinji asked curiously.

"What about them?" Sayomi replied evasively, tail twitching.

"Do you know who it is?" Shinji questioned, never taking his eyes off of Sayomi.

"No," she stated simply, her tail twitching again.

Shinji's eyes narrowed slightly, as did Kensei's but no one else seemed to be paying any attention.

"Like I said, you were scared," Hiyori mumbled.

Finally acknowledging the blond girl, Sayomi turned her head towards the girl and stared at her coldly. "I am not afraid of anything, it was in our best interest that I remain undetected... If you decide to persist in pestering me though, I will not hesitate to claw your eyes out of that ridiculously thick skull of yours," she threatened icily.

Shinji sighed and scratched at his head before sticking out an arm to keep Hiyori from attacking the white cat that was still regarding her coldly.

"Well, it definitely won't be boring around here now, will it, Rose?" Love said to the wavy haired man.

"I don't think so. Hopefully they won't destroy the place this time," Rose replied as he went back to strumming his guitar absently.

The only one who had remained silent was the large man against the far wall, his name was Hachigen Oshoda, and he was usually fairly quite and reserved.

Sayomi curled herself up in the center of the wooden table and began to watch as Rose strummed at his guitar. Her tail began to flit in time to the music he was playing and her eyes began to droop closed.

Kensei, however, was still far from pleased and he glared at the white cat for a moment before sighing in annoyance. He stood up quickly and grabbed Sayomi by the scruff of her thin neck. There was a surprised meow which was then followed by a series of hisses and growls as Sayomi batted at Kensei's hand with her paws, sharp claws out. This didn't do her any good, however, since he was wearing gloves and she couldn't get her claws through the thick fabric.

"Dammit, Kensei!What the hell do you think you're doing? Put me down!" She growled furiously, struggling to remove herself from the grip on her fur.

"Shut up, Sayomi," Kensei ordered, his voice told her not to argue further and she reluctantly went limp and allowed him to carry her from the building as if she were a kitten in trouble.

Once outside Kensei sat down and leaned against the concrete building. Setting a rather fluffy Sayomi beside him, her fur had stood on end in response to her anger and she looked rather comical, almost as if she had been blow dried while hanging upside down.

"Was that really necessary, Kensei?" Sayomi growled at him.

"Who is it?" He asked her, his face betraying the fact that the question was less a question and more of a demand that wasn't to be ignored.

"Who is who?" Sayomi asked, playing clueless and attempting to smooth some of her much too fluffy fur.

"The human the Soul Reaper gave her powers to."

"No idea," she answered turning her head away from him and going back to smoothing her soft white fur.

"Sayomi," Kensei growled in a warning tone.

Sayomi shifted a little. Even when she wasn't in the form of a cat she was a little afraid of Kensei's volatile temper, and she wasn't scared of anything. "A high school student," she said, knowing he wanted more specific information, but trying to avoid having to give it to him. "Ow, ow, ow," she whined when she was once again grabbed by the scruff of her neck and held her up to his face, far enough away so that she couldn't swat at him.

Sayomi couldn't look away from the golden eyes that were boring into her, and she squirmed uselessly in his grasp.

"Sayomi," he said authoritatively.

For several seconds she returned his glare, but then became too uncomfortable to continue and sighed. "Alright, alright put me down you big oaf."

Kensei set her back down beside him and looked at her expectantly.

Sayomi sighed and sat herself down. "His name is Ichigo Kurosaki, he's a classmate of mine. I've always sensed that he had some sort of reiatsu but it wasn't all that noticeable until the other night, even then I didn't immediately realize it was him."

"Kurosaki, huh?" Kensei asked.

"Yes, I'm worried for him. If the Soul Society finds out what this girl did by giving him her powers, he could be killed for it. I don't know what is going on with the girl though, it's been about a week and she still doesn't seem to have regained any of her strength. I've been keeping an eye on her whenever I knew I could do it without risking her noticing me. If she doesn't return to Soul Society then we can safely assume that other Soul Reapers will be sent here to look for her."

"We'll just have to be a little more careful then," Kensei replied.

Silence settled between the two and both tried to look anywhere but at each other.

"You're angry at me, aren't you?" Sayomi asked quietly.

Kensei looked over at her and shook his head. He no longer looked angry, but he did appear to be unhappy, sad almost. "You've been gone for a long time, Sayomi."

"I know, and I'm sorry. You knew where to find me though, and it's not like any of you ever bothered to come see me either," she pointed out.

"That isn't the point, you walk back in as if nothing has changed. The last time you were here you nearly killed Hiyori. You can't act as if that never happened."

Sayomi snorted, which as a cat sounded like a strange mix of a growl and a purr.

"She deserved what she got," Sayomi replied bitterly.

"Just control yourself this time, or I will step in, understand?"

"Yes, Kensei, I understand," she replied smugly.

"Good. Let's go back inside. Behave yourself."

"I'm not a child, you know."

"Than stop acting like one," Kensei retorted gruffly.

"Says the guy who can't control his temper," Sayomi muttered childishly under her breath.

There was a short silence before there was a loud yelp followed by a short, but satisfied laugh.

"Bastard," Sayomi muttered after the boot clad foot was removed from her aching tail.

"Sorry, didn't see you there," Kensei replied with a dark smirk as he walked back into the warehouse.

Sayomi followed sulkily, she noticed Mashiro looking at her tail quizzically as was everyone else, but they all knew better than to say anything. Mashiro wasn't so subtle though, a look of confusion flew over her childlike features.

"If you say one word, Mashiro, I'll rip you to shreds," Sayomi hissed.

The girl than proceeded to have temper tantrum on the floor because Sayomi had been mean, of course though, no one seemed to pay her any attention.

* * *

><p>Sayomi, still posing as a cat, was busy trying to occupy herself by batting around a ball of black yarn on the floor of the warehouse. She was currently on her back and swatting the ball of yarn that was near her head.<p>

"I think you've spent too much time in that form," Kensei said to her as he walked over to pick up the yarn she was playing with.

Sayomi meowed angrily at him and swiped at his hand with an angry hiss.

"I'm a cat at the moment and cats are easily amused. If I switched back into human form then I'd just pester you," Sayomi replied snottily.

Kensei glanced down at her, dropped the ball of yarn back onto the floor and walked off without another word.

"Ha, thought so," Sayomi gloated when he sat back down at the little table and she triumphantly chased after the yarn.

"Whose turn is it to get food today?" Shinji called lazily from his usual position on the green couch.

"I think it's Kensei's," Lisa answered, as usual for the dark haired, glasses wearing girl, she was sitting against a wall with a perverted magazine held before her face.

"What about the furball?" Hiyori shouted from a chair that was behind the green couch, she tossed the book she had been reading on the floor and stood up abruptly.

Sayomi turned her icy blue eyes on the blond girl and let her ball of yarn slowly spin away from her. "What about me?" she hissed.

"She hasn't gone to get food, if she's gonna be a part of the group again she could at least help out," Hiyori yelled, ignoring the fact that Sayomi had spoken to her.

The other seven people in the building all turned their eyes to the angry Hiyori. It was well known to them all that Hiyori and Sayomi didn't get along. They never had. That was the main reason Sayomi had left the ranks of the Vizard. Sayomi could be a patient person, but Hiyori had constantly tested the limits of her patience. It proved to be a near fatal test when Sayomi had finally snapped and nearly killed the girl in her rage. She had stunned everyone, including herself, and had left not long after the confrontation.

"You really are dumb, aren't you?" Sayomi replied to Hiyori's outburst.

Hiyori glared at Sayomi, her face turning a light shade of red.

"I'm a cat, dimwit. Cats don't buy food," Sayomi stated.

"You can transform," Hiyori shot back.

"Of course, because naked girls don't draw any attention at all," Sayomi replied sarcastically.

"Then wear clothes," Hiyori shouted.

"Hiyori, stop yur yelling would ya?" Shinji yawned.

A distinct and loud slapping sound was heard as Hiyori slapped Shinji in the face with one of her sandals.

"I didn't bring any clothes. Cat, remember," Sayomi said as her tail flicked the air behind her in annoyance.

"That's enough," Kensei shouted at the two. "I'll go get food. Sayomi, you're coming with me. Give everyone here some peace and quiet for a little while."

"Then Hiyori should leave too," Shinji grumbled.

Another smacking sound was heard as Hiyori's sandal once again made contact with Shinji's face. Shinji cried out in pain and fell onto the floor, clutching at his bleeding nose.

The large Hachi who was sitting alone off to the left of the group sighed, he knew he'd have to once again heal Shinji's broken nose when everyone had calmed enough to allow him to do so.

Kensei stood up from the table and stalked towards Sayomi. "Let's go," he demanded as he past her without a single glance.

Sayomi didn't say anything and trotted after him, her tail swaying in the air pridefully. A cat's tail was their pride and joy after all.

"Don't tell me you're angry with me?" Sayomi asked Kensei while they walked through the maze of warehouses.

"You two have done nothing but bitch in the month and a half since you came back. It's annoying, and no one wants to hear it," Kensei replied.

"I don't exactly like fighting with her, you know," Sayomi retorted.

"Then knock it off."

"It's not that simple."

"Why?"

"I don't even know anymore," Sayomi sighed. "We have never been able to get along. Hiyori lets her emotions control her actions and words and she says things out of jealousy and spite rather than for a logical reason."

"I remember you nearly killing her out of spite," Kensei said.

Sayomi scoffed and flicked her tail in annoyance. "She had no right to bring up something that didn't involve her. I am already aware of the fact that even though I no longer share the same name as my brother, I still share the same blood as the traitor. I am also well aware that I am not a noble by birth but rather by adoption, something she takes pride in exploiting," she replied coldly.

"You miss the Soul Society, don't you?" Kensei asked after a moment.

Sayomi didn't answer him, just kept walking beside him silently as if he had never spoken.

"The day you nearly killed Hiyori what really made you so angry, Sayomi?" Kensei asked her seriously.

Still she remained quiet, her blue eyes on the ground in front of her.

'_Sayomi-sama_,' Fuyukaze whispered sadly in her mind.

'Don't,' Sayomi ordered back. She didn't want to have this conversation, either in reality or in the world of her zanpakuto.

"I heard what she said," Kensei spoke up.

Sayomi stopped walking abruptly and her tail fell from its prideful place in the air, her head tilted downwards so all that could be seen were the backs of her snowy white ears.

"Then you know why I snapped," Sayomi whispered, her voice was still cold, but calm as she spoke, "He was my fiance. It may have been true that he deserved someone far better, a true noble, but he didn't want that. He was a good man and she had no right to speak his name so freely and with so little respect. Our relationship wasn't her business."

"She should have been more respectful, especially of the dead, but you still shouldn't have tried to kill her."

"I know that, Kensei, why do you think I left? I wanted to be left alone to my thoughts and come to terms with everything that happened. I don't miss Soul Society, I miss the idea of the life I would have had if things were different. Is that so wrong?" Sayomi asked, the coldness was beginning to melt from her voice and it was now ripe with sadness and pain.

Kensei sighed, "Of course not. You lost more than most of us."

Sayomi said nothing more, she just started walking again. Kensei watched her for a moment before taking a few steps to walk beside her.

"My apartment isn't far, I should really go and grab a few things," Sayomi said as they neared the more populated area of the town.

"Be back here in a half hour," Kensei said as he walked to the little store that was just across the street.

Sayomi made her way back to her apartment and managed to get in through the window over her bedroll by climbing the old dying tree that would constantly scratch at her one window when it was windy.

Once inside, Sayomi used her hind legs to push the collar she wore up and over her head, once the item was off she began to slowly change form. Her fur disappeared, sinking back into her pales skin while her limbs elongated until she once again appeared to be a short teenage girl with long white hair.

Leaning over, she picked up the bracelet that served as her collar and slipped it on to her thin wrist, tightening the ribbon so it wouldn't slide off. Walking to the single small dresser she owned she slipped on a pair of jeans and a white square neck corset top that had sleeves that went to her elbows and laced up the front with a light blue ribbon. Without looking at what she was doing, Sayomi quickly brushed out her long hair before braiding it and twisting the braid into a bun which she secured with a few hair pins.

Grabbing a few other items, Sayomi neatly packed her things into her black book bag. She then slipped on a pair of white shoes and left her small home.

Walking back to the store she was to meet Kensei she sensed a small shift in spirit pressures. She paused and looked up into the darkening sky, her brow drawn together and her lips forming a tight line.

'We need to get back to the warehouse,' she thought as she began to walk once again, only much quicker now.

She made it to the store quickly and nearly collided with Kensei as he walked out with two bags full of groceries in his arms.

Immediately noticing the worry in her eyes he followed after her when she abruptly turned away and began to walk at a very fast pace towards the warehouse district.

"What's wrong?" he asked her urgently.

"Can't you feel it?"

Kensei was silent for a moment before he spoke, but now there was a hard edge to his voice. "Soul Reapers."

"Yes. Soul Reapers. Strong ones, and they're close. I doubt they're here for us, but I still don't want them to sense us," she told him.

Sayomi kept her head raised and her eyes alert, but something was tugging at her insides. One of the spirit energies was familiar to her, but for some reason she couldn't place it and it bothered her. She felt as if she should be able to recognize the reiatsu, and it almost made her feel guilty when she wasn't able to.

Kensei walked beside the thoughtful girl and kept casting glances down at her as they walked. He could tell something about the energies that had appeared was bothering her, he just didn't know what.

As they reached the hidden warehouse, Sayomi tried to shake off the strange feeling of recognition, but after taking a few steps inside she suddenly froze. Her eyes were wide with realization and she sucked in a quick breath while her face paled, she looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Sayomi, what the hell?" Kensei cursed as he nearly collided with her back.

The black bag that she had slung over her shoulder dropped to the floor, a few of its contents spilling out. "It can't be," she whispered in disbelief.

"Earth to Sayomi," Mashiro sung as she waved an arm before the still girl's face.

Shinji walked up and pushed Mashiro aside causing the green haired girl to have a small temper tantrum on the ground that no one paid attention to. Kensei, who had set down the bags he had been carrying, stepped up beside Sayomi and placed a hand on her shoulder while his brows drew together and he glanced at Shinji for some sort of explanation as to what was going. The blond seemed to have a grim look of understanding on his face that led him to believe he had an idea as to why Sayomi had so suddenly gone white as a ghost.

"Sayomi?" Shinji asked slowly, cautiously.

She began to shake with emotion and she flexed her hands and fingers as if to make sure that they were still working. "You," she uttered in a soft, but heated whisper. Her blue eyes were blinking furiously, as if she were fighting back tears as she focused only on Shinji and let everything else fade away around her. "You said he was dead," her voice had escalated from soft to an angry, accusing snarl.

Shinji took a cautious step back, but not before Sayomi took a step forward and had wrapped the fingers of her left hand around his throat. She slammed the taller man into a wall that had been at least twenty feet behind him. He coughed as some of the broken rubble from the wall fell to the ground with a clatter and dust rose in wispy tendrils around him.

There were shouts and cries of surprise as the others rose to find out what the commotion was. Everyone gathered around the angry girl, but no one dared to draw their weapons against her. Especially not since she had her own drawn and pressed menacingly at Shinji's throat.

When Sayomi had stepped forward and grabbed Shinji, she had held her right arm out so that her elbow was even with her shoulder and her hand was a few inches before her chest. The silver bracelet on her wrist jingled quietly as she had uttered a single word. In the instant that she had spoken there was a small flash and a thin bladed katana of the purest, unadulterated steel was in her hand. Its pure silver blade pressed firmly against Shinji's throat just above where her left hand held him tightly.

Shinji's face was impassive as Sayomi glared at him, a storm of emotion roiling behind her pale blue orbs. "Put the sword away," Shinji advised calmly.

"Bastard," she hissed. "You lied."

"Yes."

Sayomi bristled at the admission and barred her teeth at him and let a low growl rumble out of the depths of her throat. "Who else knew?" she asked, the coldness and anger in her voice were so blatant that chills ran down the spines of everyone present.

When no one answered and only looked around uncertainly, she pulled her katana from his throat the silver blade glinting softly in the light that poured in through the dirty and broken window above the group. The sword had an elegant dark blue and silver hilt that led to the guard that was of the same pure steel as the blade, there were four pieces that protruded outwards and curved inwards before curling to create circular swirls.

Still looking at Shinji, Sayomi raised her left arm straight out to her side. There was a chilly wind as small shiny particles gathered in her hand to form a solid long object. The object was a sheath of the deepest blue that matched the blue ribbon on the hilt of her katana. There were silver engravings on the smooth shiny surface of the sheath of swirling clouds, they resembled the design of the guard.

"Sayomi," the wavy haired blond Rose said quietly, soothingly. He stepped forward to try and offer some form of comfort to her, she looked so incredibly sad and shaken he couldn't help but to want to console her somehow and he was sure everyone else felt the same.

Sayomi shook her head and ignored the looks on the faces of everyone. They were all, including Hiyori, looking at her with a mixture of sympathy, concern and sadness.

"Dumb ass, Shinji, you liar," Hiyori suddenly yelled, as she removed one of her sandals and proceeded to whack Shinji upside the head.

Sayomi snorted lightly before turning around and walking back towards the large door that lead outside she sheathed her zanpakuto as she walked, and held it in her right hand.

"Sayomi! Wait!" Kensei shouted after her.

Ignoring the shouts that followed after her she stepped through the barrier shielding the warehouse and disappeared in a flash of movement.

* * *

><p>~AN~

Thank you to all of my wonderful readers and reviewers! You all make writing worth while!

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer- Still don't and never will own Bleach

**Chapter 4**

**An Old Friend **

In a matter of moments Sayomi had maneuvered her way over and around the many buildings and rooftops that were between herself and the reiatsu of a man she had thought dead for over half a century. Landing lightly on her toes she slowly lowered herself onto her feet atop a cream colored brick wall that rose about five feet from the ground. The street she was on was dark and she was hidden from view by the thick shadows provided by a large tree that towered over the fence, its drooping branches concealing her well.

The scene before her made her eyes widen in surprise, she had been so focused on the reiatsu of the man who hadn't been in her life in so long that she hadn't noticed that there were others present with him as well. Four others to be exact.

There was a black haired boy who was lying on the ground a few yards from where she stood on the brick wall. A boy she immediately recognized as a friend and classmate.

"Uryu," Sayomi whispered, frowning in concern at the boy's back.

Even from where she stood she could tell that he wasn't in danger of dying. He had been knocked out and was coming back around, he appeared to have a wound on his side, but she could tell by the strength of his spiritual energy that he would be just fine. She looked away from her wounded friend to see that Ichigo Kurosaki stood defiantly facing a tall red headed Soul Reaper -she knew he was a Soul Reaper by the black uniform he wore- who was holding a large, sectioned sword with fang like protrusions extending from each section; his zanpakuto.

Quickly taking in the wound to Ichigo's right shoulder which was bleeding freely through the torn black fabric of his own Soul Reaper uniform, Sayomi's eyes wandered around the street before her to see what condition the others present were in. The black haired girl she had seen at the school almost two months before was standing helplessly a few feet behind the red haired Soul Reaper, watching the events as they unfolded with wide, worried eyes. The red head was glaring menacingly at Ichigo, he looked as if he wanted nothing more than to crush Ichigo into dust with his bare hands.

Sayomi sucked in a shuddering breath as her eyes focused on yet another person, the only other person and the one who she had thought she had would never see again. Standing a few feet to the left of the black haired girl was a man with long black hair in the standard Soul Reaper uniform, but with an exquisite white scarf wrapped around his neck and silver tubes in his hair. Kenseikan, they signified that he was nobility, and the head of his noble clan at that.

Watching from nearly forty feet away Sayomi was careful to not draw any attention to herself. Her reiatsu was skillfully concealed and being that she was able to move as quietly and nimbly as a cat when she wanted to while in human form remaining undetected was no real challenge. Staying completely still, unsure of what to do, she considered intervening on Ichigo's behalf, but she knew that Ichigo was prideful and wouldn't want any help from her. This thought kept her rooted, unmoving, to her hidden spot with a frown on her face as she watched her classmate who didn't know who she really was, or what she really was. Helping him would reveal to him, and many others, who and what she was as well as where she was. This wasn't information she was entirely comfortable revealing. Especially to Soul Reapers, people she kept telling herself she hated.

'_You don't hate them all, little one_,' said Fuyukaze.

His breezy attempt at a reminder of something she wanted to forget made a pained look cross her face for a moment. '.. He probably thinks I'm dead, Fuyu... And it's probably better that way.. I'm almost surprised he hasn't noticed me, though... He was always able to sense me, even when I was suppressing my reiatsu.'

_'It's been a long time, hime_,' Fuyukaze replied softly.

Sayomi sighed inwardly and watched Ichigo who seemed to suddenly lose all of his strength. He fell to the ground after a nasty run in with the red head's sectional zanpakuto that had brutally torn through his shoulder. Her eyes widened in surprise a few seconds later when reiatsu began to pour from the orange haired boy and he stood back up with a smirk, unaware that he was doing something rather out of the ordinary. The color that had been draining from his face was quickly returning while his shoulder knitted itself back together, his energy was quickly returning as reiatsu continued to flare around him, reviving him though he had no idea what was happening.

The red head charged forward, trying to appear unperturbed by the display, but Sayomi had seen the brief surprise that had widened his eyes when the reiatsu had begun pouring out of Ichigo with surprising strength. He was thrown backwards when Ichigo sliced through the air with his over sized sword that he was still holding in his hand. There was a cracking noise as the sunglasses that had been on the red head's forehead suddenly snapped and slid off his face to land on the pavement below him. Blood poured from a cut to the man's head as he stared, stunned and confused, at Ichigo who was preparing to attack him again.

Ichigo, however, was now the one to be surprised. He never got the chance to continue his assault when the blade of his sword vanished a few inches away from the guard. It looked as if the blade had cracked and broken, but the missing part of the blade was nowhere to be seen.

Even Sayomi's eyes widened when the black haired nobleman dropped the sword's blade to the ground, it hadn't appeared even to her quick eyes that he had moved an inch. She had seen a brief flash of color from his scarf, but that had been it. The instant after the blade had clattered to the ground the man moved again. This time Sayomi's eyes were ready and followed every move he made, and he didn't make many.

"No," Sayomi whispered urgently when she saw the glint of steel in the moonlight, there were two quick flashes and then the noble was standing stoically beside Ichigo.

The metallic and bitter smell of blood pervaded the air and engulfed Sayomi's senses as Ichigo slowly fell to his knees on the asphalt before he fell limply forward to lie shocked and bloody on the ground. The black haired girl shouted and ran towards the fallen teen, but she was pinned to a telephone post by the red haired Soul Reaper after taking only a few steps.

Sayomi didn't hear the words that were exchanged in the next few seconds, but she did see Ichigo's shaky, blood speckled hand rise up to grasp the hem of the black haired man's hakama. She saw the look of annoyance that crossed the man's handsome face, and the white gloved hand that was slowly making its way to the hilt of his sword.

In the instant before the man could draw his sword, Sayomi had made her decision.

A cool breeze that carried with it the scent of snow and something like pine and fresh earth swirled up a small amount of dust from the pavement as Sayomi landed in a crouch, one knee on the ground, the other near her chest. Her right hand was held out to her side, grasping Ichigo's wrist that she had removed from the nobleman's hakama. Her other hand was holding the carved sheath of her sword near the guard of the sheathed weapon as she rested the item on her raised knee. Her head was bowed and her face hidden from view by her white hair that had come free of its bun in her rush to Ichigo's side and was pouring over her shoulders in soft, uneven waves of white.

"Who the hell are you?" The red head growled menacingly at her.

Sayomi remained silent and kept her head bowed, her eyes were staring at the ground in front of her. She could feel the smoky eyes of the nobleman staring coldly at the top of her bowed head, it made her heart speed up in her chest nervously. This reunion was not likely to end well and Sayomi was still not sure revealing herself had been a wise choice to make, however, it was too late to change her mind and she would have to deal with the repercussions of her actions.

There was a rustle of movement as the red head decided he was going to charge at her, annoyed with her silence. Her moves were so quick and fluid that the red head was stunned when he found himself inexplicably pinned to the ground with the blade of a pure silver katana at his throat. His surprised dark eyes looked in to the pale blue eyes of the woman who now stood over him, her face was a mask of controlled coldness. The look was unnervingly similar to the one that was even now on the face of his captain who stood behind the woman, his eyes on her as she held the tip of her polished sword to his throat.

"Who are you, woman?" The nobleman behind the woman demanded in an icy monotone.

Renji saw something flicker in the woman's eyes, he thought they looked incredibly sad for a moment, but the look was long gone before he could identify it with any certainty.

Taking a breath, Sayomi released it slowly before answering. "Have you really forgotten me already, Byakuya?" Sayomi asked calmly. "I've never forgotten you." Sheathing her sword, Sayomi turned around. Her blue eyes met the cold, steely gaze of the handsome black haired man in front of her.

The man's stormy gray eyes widened in shock for a very brief moment that no one but Sayomi noticed. "Impossible," Byakuya scoffed, his cold and unaffected demeanor returning easily.

"That's what I thought when I felt your reiatsu," she replied conversationally, a wary smile lifting the corners of her pink lips.

"You're supposed to be dead," Byakuya pointed out harshly.

"Yes, well... So are you," she replied quietly, her smile dropping away.

"Captain, who is she?" The red head asked curiously, his eyes studying the both of them in turn.

"..Sayomi Himura," Byakuya answered blandly.

"The former captain and heiress to the old Himura clan?" The red head asked, surprised by the revelation. "I thought she was dead."

"It would seem that wasn't the case," Byakuya replied. His eyes had never once strayed from the cool blue eyes of the woman before him while he had spoken with his subordinate.

"But what is she-"

"Renji," Byakuya snapped coldly at the red head, finally tearing his gaze away from Sayomi's.

"Yes, Captain," he replied as he stood up quickly and turned around.

Sayomi heard him mutter a command and heard the sound of wooden screens sliding apart.

"I will leave the boy alive, for now. As for you... I would suggest returning to the dead," Byakuya said, casting a disdainful glance at Sayomi before turning his attention to the doors that had materialized in front of his lieutenant.

"That's the only greeting I get from you after all of these years, Byakuya?" Sayomi inquired softly. "We were-"

"You are dead, and I have no desire to speak to ghosts," Byakuya cut in in a cold monotone.

Her eyes narrowed defiantly, though she could feel a stab of pain in her heart at his words. "If that's the case then why not kill me?"

"What's the use in killing someone who's already dead?" Byakuya replied.

"You have orders to, don't you?" She inquired blandly, her eye eyebrow lifting when she saw that Byakuya had no idea what she was talking about when his lips twitched into a slight frown. "You have no idea, do you? Yamamoto never told you or the other captains about what happened, did he? Surprising, considering he wanted all of us that went out to that campsite nearly a century ago to be executed."

Byakuya stared coolly at her, his expression was unreadable, giving away nothing of what he thought of Sayomi's words. "You're already dead, Sayomi," he said before turning away from her again.

Sayomi continued to stare at him defiantly, but a part of her broke and she felt as if she could cry, but she wouldn't. Not here, not after everything she had gone through. What should it matter to her anyway how this nobleman treated her? They had both thought the other to be dead. They had both moved on in their lives and there was no longer a connection between them that should matter, at least that was what she was trying to convince herself of.

The nobleman began to walk towards the open screen doors, the black haired girl following along after him.

Ichigo, who until then had been looking confusedly between Sayomi and Byakuya, looked up at the departing girl. "Rukia, what are you doing?" He asked shakily.

The girl turned towards him, tears swimming in her violet eyes. "Don't move, Ichigo. Don't come after me, just lie there and live a little longer."

"Rukia, you can't be serious," Ichigo cried.

"If you move an inch from there or try coming after me.. I will never forgive you," the girl said before turning away and following after the two males who had already walked through the gate that lead to another world, a world Sayomi had left a long time ago.

Sayomi watched with a secret longing as the first set of doors began to slide shut, she saw the gray eyes of Byakuya look back at her briefly before the doors shut with a clack and began to fade back into the dark night.

There were a few grunts from Ichigo as large raindrops began to fall from the sky, pattering onto the ground softly. Sayomi walked to Ichigo and knelt beside him with a sigh. "What the hell were you thinking, Ichigo?" She scolded quietly.

"Sayomi, how..." He struggled to speak, but his teeth ground together as a wave of pain swept over him.

"Don't worry about that right now," she told him.

The rain had began to fall heavier, and Sayomi was quickly becoming drenched in the downpour. There was a sudden break in the rain and Sayomi looked up to see that Kisuke Urahara stood over her and Ichigo, an umbrella in his hand. He smiled softly at her.

"I want to know what you had to do with this, Kisuke," she said as she stood up.

"For now we should concentrate on helping your friends here," he replied.

"Where's Tessai?" she asked.

"I'm over here," the large man replied as he stepped out of the shadows.

"Help Ichigo, I'll help Uryu," she said to the large man.

Tessai nodded and handed her a small box,a first aid kit, and an umbrella.

"Thanks," she said as she walked towards the dark haired boy that was now sitting up.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Tessai asked Kisuke quietly as he knelt down to examine Ichigo's wounds.

Kisuke sighed, and scratched at his head. "She's strong, she always has been. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Hey, Uryu," Sayomi greeted impassively, approaching the black haired boy.

Uryu looked up and was surprised to see Sayomi smiling kindly down at him, but he could easily see that the smile was false as it didn't light up her usually bright eyes. He pushed his glasses up on his nose to cover his surprise and cleared his throat. "Sayomi, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I should ask you the same thing, Uryu. You should have known they were too strong for you," Sayomi replied as she looked down at the cut to his side.

Uryu seemed speechless for a moment before he sighed. "I knew something was different about you."

Sayomi chuckled, it sounded hollow and empty instead of amused. "I figured as much, but anyways let me see the wound."

"I'm fine," Uryu replied indignantly.

Sayomi sighed and sat down beside him, lifting his shirt to reveal a bleeding gash just below his ribs. Ignoring Uryu's attempts to get her to leave him alone and brush her off she poked at the skin under the wound.

Uryu winced and hissed at the pain her antics had caused.

"You're fine, huh?" She teased. She set her zanpakuto beside her and opened the small box Tessai had given her.

"So are you a Soul Reaper then?" Uryu asked, eyes on the sword she had set down.

"No," she answered without looking up as she dabbed at the cut with a piece of gauze soaked in antiseptic. "Now, hold still, I haven't done this in a while."

Sayomi placed her palm before the cut and a green glow emitted from her hands and flowed into the wound, which began to slowly knit itself back together. The wound was mostly closed when she lowered her hand, a bright red line was now the only sign of the wound that had been there.

"Let me wrap it, and then just be careful not to reopen it," she said as she reached into the small box beside her for a roll of white bandages.

Uryu stuttered out a denial and quickly stood up, smoothing out his shirt as he did so. Sayomi looked up and noticed he was bright red, she quirked a brow at him.

"No, I'm fine, thank you," he said to her.

"Ok, but don't whine to me if you reopen it and wind up bleeding to death," Sayomi replied with a shrug.

"So who are you, really?" Uryu asked her.

Sayomi sighed and looked down at her hands. "I am Sayomi Himura, adopted daughter of Hiroshi and Mai Himura."

"You know what I mean. Were you a Soul Reaper?" Uryu asked.

"I hate Soul Reapers," Sayomi answered quietly. "They fear too easily that which they do not understand."

Uryu stared down at her in confusion for a moment, but the look changed to understanding as he nodded. He understood what she meant all too well, but didn't know how the words applied to her.

"So then what are you?" He asked.

"I am..." She trailed off with a listless sigh and shook her head. "I am dead... I am nothing anymore to nearly everyone that once knew me, except maybe a memory."

"You're wrong," Uryu said to her.

Sayomi looked up at him, surprised.

"You're not nothing to me, you're a friend," he told her. He blushed and pushed his glasses up on his think nose to cover up his discomfort.

Sayomi smiled softly. "Thank you, Uryu. I think I'll tell you my story one day, but.. not tonight. I'm not quite feeling up to it."

"Whenever you're ready then," he said to her.

She and Uryu had become relatively good friends in the few years since she had begun to attend the school in Karakura Town. They were both fairly quiet, reserved and didn't particularly like the company of others, and somehow they had managed to become friends because of that. They would always wind up eating together and studying together, neither one minding the others silence. Of course Sayomi was also friends with Ichigo and a few of the other students but she tended to prefer Uryu's company to the others, they would all eat together or hang out every now and then but not frequently.

"I see Sayomi patched you up pretty well," Kisuke said cheerily from behind Uryu.

Uryu turned to look at the blond, whose eyes as usual were hidden under the brim of his green and white bucket hat.

"Yeah, she did. I'm going to be going home now. Take care of Ichigo, because it's obvious that if anyone's going to be able to save Rukia, it's him and not me," Uryu replied as he turned, pushing his glasses up in his nose.

Sayomi frowned. "Rukia was the girl with Byakuya, right?"

Kisuke nodded. "Yes, she's his sister."

"His sister, but that's not possible," Sayomi said.

"Umm, well..."

"Kisuke, tell me whatever it is that you're not saying," Sayomi ordered coldly.

"Well, you see she's his sister... in...law," Kisuke replied awkwardly.

Sayomi gasped and her eyes widened. She swallowed and stood up from the ground quickly, grabbing her sword as she did so.

"I see. Excuse me," she muttered before turning and beginning to walk away from everyone, picking up the black bag she had left under the tree when she had jumped to help Ichigo.

Uryu watched her back in confusion as she left.

"I wonder what she plans on doing? I know she won't go home and she won't return to her friends. Poor thing has nowhere to go," Kisuke said from beside Uryu.

"I suppose you're trying to tell me to go after her?"Uryu asked blandly.

"Of course not, why would I tell you to go after a sad, lonely, depressed, homeless-"

"I get it," Uryu replied. "I'm going."

"Bye," Kisuke sang merrily as Uryu walked off.

"Sayomi?" Uryu called quietly as he walked up beside the white haired girl.

She appeared not to have heard him as she continued walking in silence, her head bowed and her sword clutched in her right hand.

"Sayomi," he called again.

"Hmm?" She hummed as she looked up at him, her eyes were unfocused and glazed over.

"Come on," he sighed, as he grabbed the girl by her elbow and turned her to their right.

Sayomi allowed him to lead her away, she didn't really see anything as they walked only blurry images of trees and buildings.

Uryu stopped suddenly and she blinked, realizing that they were standing in front of a plain white door.

She watched as Uryu reached into his pocket for something that he then used to unlock the door and push it open. He walked in and she followed after him numbly. She stopped when she had entered what was a neat and clean small living room. To her right there seemed to be a door that lead to a kitchen and to her left was a couch, a wooden coffee table, and a stand with a small television on it.

"Let me get you a towel," Uryu said as she stood there glancing at her surroundings but not really seeing anything.

Uryu disappeared through a door that was on the opposite side of the room from the kitchen and reemerged a moment later with a towel in his hands which he handed to Sayomi.

Sayomi stared at the towel for a moment before she raised her right hand and stared at the sword that was still clutched in her hand. There was a flurry of cool air as the sword in her hand seemed to disintegrate in a shower of silver and blue, the silver and blue circled her wrist, reforming the silver and blue bracelet that she always wore.

Uryu remained silent after the display and just continued to hold the towel out to her. When she finally took the towel in her hands, he pointed to the door he had walked through to get the towel.

"The bathroom is just inside there to the right," he told her.

She nodded and slowly made her way to where he had instructed her. When she reached the bathroom, she looked into the small mirror that was over the sink. Her eyes were unfocused, and her skin had paled more than was normal. Water dripped from her wet hair and her clothes were fairly wet from the recent rain as well. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Sayomi set the towel on the counter by the sink, and put her bag down on the floor. She took a step towards the shower and turned on the hot water. After slowly undressing, she stepped into the hot stream, letting it wash away the coldness that had taken residence in her bones. After a few minutes she turned the water off and reached for the towel she had been given. After drying herself off and squeezing most of the water from her hair Sayomi opened her bag and pulled out the only dry items she could find. A pair of light colored jeans and a white tank top that had a black haired fairy dressed in bright pink sitting on the leaf of a blooming black rose.

Gathering up her wet clothes and her bag, Sayomi exited the bathroom. Uryu was sitting on his beige couch, a pot of hot tea before him on the coffee table and two cups set on either side of the pot.

"Sorry I hope you don't mind that I showered, I wasn't really thinking about it," Sayomi said to Uryu, her voice was quite and there was no emotion in it what so ever.

"Don't worry about it," he replied.

"I should go, I don't want to be a burden," she said as she made to walk towards the door.

"And where do you plan on going?" Uryu asked.

Sayomi froze, he had a point. She wouldn't go home, she knew that it was likely Kensei or someone else was already there waiting for her. She also had no intention of going back to the warehouse to face Shinji, she was afraid she might kill him if she saw him at the moment.

"That's what I thought. Now sit down and have some tea," Uryu said as if he were talking to a small child.

Sighing, Sayomi turned around walked to the couch she set her bag to the side and sat down on the opposite end from Uryu.

They sat in silence as they sipped at the warm green tea that Uryu had prepared. Sayomi suddenly felt drained and extremely tired. She set the small cup down on the coffee table and sighed. Leaning her head back on Uryu's couch she rubbed absently at her eyes. Before she even realized it she had fallen asleep.

* * *

><p>~AN~

So has anyone else read the most recent Bleach chapter? It made me so happy to see... well, I won't give it away, but it was nice to see some of the old faces again! I'm really curious about the next arc, it seems to me that there is some deeper meaning behind everything that was said in this chapter and I'm looking forward to finding out what. I just thought I'd share how much I liked the most recent chapter. I'm a little sad about the 3 week break, but I'm sure I'll survive and maybe I'll try to catch up on other manga I've fallen behind on...

Anywho, thank you, thank you, thank you! XxXLIFEafterDEATHXxX, lostfeather, and Ms. Lucky1322 your reviews of the last chapter were much appreciated.

PLEASE REVIEW! Please, please, please?


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer- Since there are still no flying unidentified pigs it should be obvious... I don't own Bleach.

**Chapter 5**

**Dreaming of You**

The usually quiet compound was buzzing with chatter and laughter. Tables had been erected and piled with all types of delicious and exotic food. Servants dressed in dark blue kimonos wandered through the crowd with trays of the finest wines and an assortment of other beautifully crafted drinks. The guests were dressed in lavish, colorful kimonos and the women had their hair done up extravagantly.

Off to the left of the room, near the doorway leading into the brightly decorated space, stood three people. Two were adults, a man and woman, who were husband and wife. They looked to be middle aged with graying hair and a few wrinkles on their faces that were brightened by genuinely happy smiles. The woman had her graying brown hair pulled up into a neat, but simple bun that was secured with two chopsticks that had little black feathers dancing around them. She wore a simple yet elegant kimono in a pale shade of blue that was decorated with white and lavender lilies and tied with a silver and white obi. The man wore a simple black uniform with a white haori over it, signifying his position as a captain in the Gotei Thirteen.

Between the two smiling hosts stood a short, petite girl of about fifteen years old with white hair and striking pale blue eyes. Her hair was twisted up at the nape of her neck in a sort of eight shape and secured with hidden pins. Her kimono was a deep midnight blue with a few scattered colorful flowers that made her eyes even more noticeable in her pale face.

The girl was smiling invitingly and bowing respectfully as people entered the house and greeted her and her parents. She looked regal in her elegant kimono, but it was obvious to those who were observant that the girl wasn't very comfortable around the multitude of fancy, over dressed nobles. Her smile didn't reach her eyes and a small twitch could be seen in her cheek whenever she thought no one was looking.

Among the last guests to arrive was another captain of the Gotei Thirteen, he was also the current head of the Kuchiki clan, Ginrei Kuchiki. The tall nobleman had brought his grandson, Byakuya Kuchiki, along with him.

The white haired girl smiled and greeted the two politely. She had met Ginrei Kuchiki before, after all he was a captain just like her father was, but she had never met his grandson. The boy looked to be her age if not a year or two older. He had long black hair and gray eyes that seemed to be bored with his current surroundings as he glanced around at everything except for Sayomi.

"Sayomi, why don't you show Byakuya to the tables, we'll be starting dinner in a few minutes," her mother suggested with a kind smile and an unusual twinkle in her eyes.

"Of course," Sayomi replied respectfully.

She turned to face the uninterested Kuchiki heir and smiled at him, he raised a brow at her as he glanced over at her, but didn't say anything as she bowed her head to him.

"The tables are just outside, Kuchiki-sama," Sayomi said to him, straightening up and gesturing gracefully to her left with a small, pale hand.

With a slight dismissive nod the boy followed Sayomi silently, barely bothering to register her presence as he looked out into the sea of people with a look of distaste.

A little put off by his cold behavior Sayomi remained quiet while she lead the young nobleman outside into a well lit, well kept garden. Paper lanterns hung above the elaborately decorated tables, making everything glow softly.

She led him towards the head of the table and gestured to two seats with a pale, small hand. "Your grandfather and yourself are guests of honor, it would please my family and me if you would sit here, close to us," Sayomi said to the boy, her words sounding rather rehearsed.

The young noble merely glanced at the seats blankly while Sayomi fidgeted restlessly beside him. She felt a little awkward since he hadn't spoken a single word and seemed to be doing his best to ignore her existence.

"Kuchiki-sama, did I displease you?" Sayomi asked politely, though there was a hint of irritation in her tone.

The Kuchiki looked up, a little confused by her question, but didn't let it show, he just stared blankly at her with his gray eyes.

"Do you even talk?" Sayomi inquired, getting a little annoyed and not caring that she was no longer being the polite hostess she had promised her father and mother she would be.

"Of course I talk," he retorted snobbishly.

"Hm," she sniffed, a brow rising arrogantly. "Well, that's a relief. I was beginning to think you were mute."

He scoffed at her and turned his head away from her.

"Is it really that difficult to talk? Or are you always this rude?" Sayomi asked bitterly.

"Why should I talk to the likes of you?" He answered pompously.

Her arms dropped to her sides. "Because, like it or not, this party isn't about you, you stuck up ass," Sayomi snapped, her brows drawn together in her anger.

Byakuya seemed to not expect this from her, she had seemed so pliant and well mannered moments before and most of the other girls he had come in contact with had never once insulted him. They had always given ridiculous amounts of praise and plenty of fake smiles. It was rather annoying really, but it was what he was used to.

"What?" Sayomi barked at him when he continued to stare at her silently.

"No one's ever spoken to me like that," he admitted a bit reluctantly.

"Really? Well that's what you get for being an ass," Sayomi huffed indignantly before brushing passed him and walking into the gardens.

'Jeez, what a stuck up little brat. He's the type of person I can't stand. Typical noble children, think they have it all and are better than everyone else,' Sayomi thought angrily as she plopped herself rather gracelessly down onto a stone bench that looked out over a large koi pond.

'_You're a noble too, are you not?_' A voice asked. It was clearly male, soft and crisp, with a trace of coldness to it.

"Who's there?" Sayomi asked as she looked around for the person who had spoken to her only there was no one there.

There was a sigh that made her feel as if she was listening to the breeze of a winter snow storm blowing itself out as it passed through the mountains.

'_You finally hear me and you don't even know it_,' the voice replied softly.

'What the hell is going on?' Sayomi thought as she continued to look around for the owner of the voice.

'_Such language from one so small. It's really not fitting, Sayomi-sama_,' the voice scolded playfully.

Sayomi's eyes widened. 'Are you in my head?'

'_Not exactly, but close. I'm in your soul_.'

'Ehh! What are doing in there? Get out!' Sayomi ordered the voice, standing up abruptly from the bench.

'_Sorry, Sayomi-sama, but that isn't how this works_,' the voice replied with an amused chime-like chuckle.

"Am I crazy?" she asked aloud suddenly, letting herself fall back onto the bench as her brows knitted themselves together.

'_No_.'

"You sure, because I'm hearing voices in my head."

'_No, you aren't. You're only hearing one voice, and it's mine, so it doesn't really count_.'

"Eh... how does it not count?" Sayomi asked thoroughly confused by the explanation as she cocked her head to the side and blinked a few times as if it would help to clear her mind.

'_I'm the spiritual manifestation of your energy, and if_-'

"You're what?"

'_It's rude to interrupt_.'

"I'm... sorry," Sayomi said slowly.

'_Now as I was saying. I am the spiritual manifestation of your powers. I reside in your soul, but if you're strong enough you can manifest me in the same world that you currently live in. Of course, I won't take on a human form outside of the realm in your soul, but_-'

"I'm insane," Sayomi stated suddenly, her face clearing of confusion as she nodded once with certainty. "Absolutely insane."

'_You're interrupting again_,' the voice chided monotonously, it sounded a bit annoyed with her conclusion despite the monotone.

"So? I'm interrupting a voice that's talking nonsense in my head, big deal," Sayomi retorted with a snort.

"Sayomi, what are you doing out here?"

Turning around, Sayomi looked up to see her father standing over her. "Talking to the voice in my head that's talking nonsense," she told him with a small shrug.

"I see. I thought that might happen one day," he replied.

"So you knew I was going to go insane?" she asked, befuddled.

Hiroshi laughed at her and she frowned, not seeing what was funny about her current situation and mental state.

"You're not going insane, dear, but we'll talk about that later, we have a dinner to get to," he said to her.

"Yes, father," she said as she stood up to walk behind him as they returned to the tables.

She glanced at the Kuchiki heir she had snapped at earlier to see that he was watching her with mild interest, his eyes carefully studying her as she moved. Turning her head forward again she decided to ignore him for the remainder of the evening.

Luckily for her, it wasn't very hard. After dinner almost every female in their age range was huddled around him, giggling and smiling like idiots. Sayomi rolled her eyes at their antics, it was quite obvious to her that Byakuya wasn't enjoying the attention, at least not that he was showing.

"You know my grandson is quite used to having the girls flock to him. However, I don't think he really cares for their wiles."

Sayomi looked to her right to see that Ginrei Kuchiki was standing beside her, she bowed slightly and smiled at him.

"Why is it, Sayomi, that you do not join the other girls?" Ginrei asked curiously.

She tried not to snort, but wound up making a slight muffled grunt anyways. "I don't find your grandson's charm to be as intoxicating as the others do... Please don't think of me as rude in saying that though," Sayomi said quickly, after she realized just what she had said and how rude it sounded.

The old man laughed lightly at her, before patting her on the shoulder. "I think the two of you would get along quite well if you actually tried talking to one another. Now why don't you go and rescue him from those girls before they devour him. After all, this gathering is to celebrate your birthday, and they can't object if you steal my poor, defenseless grandson away from them for a dance."

"But there's no dancing," Sayomi replied, before regretting it when the older man looked up and nodded his head at a man on the opposite side of the room.

A moment later the soft sounds of music began to drift through the air.

Sayomi sighed, defeated.

"Go on, dear, before one of the others beats you to it," Ginrei said as he lightly pushed her forward.

'Stupid, meddling old man, and to think he used to be against my adoption in to the Himura family,' Sayomi thought as she walked towards Byakuya.

She made her way through the gaggle of giggling girls and found herself staring into the surprised eyes of the Kuchiki. The area around them had gone quiet as the girls that had swarmed around him became silent and waited to see what Sayomi was going to do.

Sayomi raised a pale brow at Byakuya who was looking at her curiously. She raised her hand to him, and he finally seemed to catch on that she was trying to help him, but it would be rather forward of her to ask him to dance.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked her a bit more eagerly than he had intended.

"It would be a pleasure," she replied, playing the role of the demure and shy noble.

He grabbed her hand and practically ripped her arm off as he led her through the crowd of stunned girls.

"Why did you do that?" He asked as they danced, their feet automatically performing the steps they had been trained for years to know.

Sayomi snorted stubbornly. "Your grandfather likes to meddle and thinks we would get along well."

"I see. So you don't wish to dance with me?" He asked her, he almost sounded disappointed.

"I didn't say that," she replied quickly before inwardly slapping herself for saying it.

"So you do want to dance with me then?" He asked, an arrogant smirk beginning to form on his lips.

"Just dance, would you," Sayomi said to him, flustered with the entire situation as her cheeks grew warm.

They continued to move through the steps of the dance silently and only occasionally looking at each other.

As the music came to an end Sayomi stood facing Byakuya. She bowed to him politely but didn't thank him, instead she walked off and disappeared through the door that led back out into the gardens.

She wandered the familiar and fragrant pathways that were lined with different types of plants, flowers and trees until she once again came to the same koi pond she had been staring into earlier in the night.

Taking her seat on the stone bench once again Sayomi watched as the brightly colored fish swam aimlessly around in the shallow pond.

'_What's wrong?_' The same airy voice from earlier inquired.

"Nothing," she answered automatically.

'_I know you're lying. What's on your mind, little hime_?'

"Little hime?" Sayomi asked.

'_Yes, you're the little princess of your clan_.'

'They aren't my clan,' Sayomi thought sadly.

'_Maybe not by blood, but they accept you as such, and others are following suit as well_,' the voice said reassuringly.

Sayomi sighed.

'_Now what is really bothering you, Sayomi-hime?_'

"Now it's Sayomi-hime, how many different ways are you going to address me?" She grumbled.

There was a soft, light, and breezy chuckle in response. '_As many ways as possible. Now tell me, what is wrong?_'

"I hate parties," she answered in a mumble, staring down at the dirt beneath her feet. "I hate the people and their idiotic need to be better than everyone else. I just want to sit under a tree and read and be left alone. Instead I have to pretend to be something I'm not and they all know it."

"Who are you talking to?" Someone asked from behind her.

Sayomi jumped from her seat and spun around to see Byakuya Kuchiki looking at her with curious gray eyes. "None of your business. Now if you don't mind I'd like to finish my conversation," Sayomi snapped at him. She hadn't actually meant to snap at him, but he had startled her and it made her angry for no real reason.

Byakuya raised an elegant black brow at her, he didn't like being dismissed by her, by anyone actually. "You can't order me around, I'm staying here," he answered her.

"You're all the same," Sayomi blurted out, blushing furiously and gritting her teeth as she looked quickly away.

"What do you mean?" Byakuya asked her coolly.

"Never mind, just leave me alone."

"No."

"And why not?" She questioned, her hands curing into fists at her sides.

"Why are you angry with me?" Byakuya asked curiously.

"Because you're annoying," she replied tersely.

"And you're not?" He retorted.

"You just have to be better than everyone, don't you?" Sayomi snapped.

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters. I may not be worth your time, or anyone else's for that matter, but you don't have any right to judge me."

"What are you doing then?" He inquired casually.

She seemed confused by his question and looked at him oddly. "What do you mean?" She asked uncertainly.

"Aren't you judging me?"

"No, I'm making an observation," she replied quickly, defensively.

"An observation based on what?"

"Based on the fact that you didn't even bother talking to me until I was forced to rescue you from the horde of man eating girls and now you're out here to what? Pick on me, belittle me?"

"No one forced you to dance with me, _you_ chose to do that. As for my reasons for being out here, I merely wished to thank you," he stated.

Sayomi stared at him for a moment before tweaking a brow at him. "Huh?"

"I wished to thank you for the dance and for allowing me to get away from the horde of man eating girls as you call them," he answered a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Ok."

"Ok?" He repeated.

"Yes, that's what I said. Ok. Are you going deaf now that you've learned how to speak?" She asked, the hint of a smile tugging at own her lips.

"I believe it's from having to listen to the constant whining of the man eating hordes," Byakuya replied.

Sayomi laughed lightly, it was like the sound of small tinkling bells that was carried on the wind.

"You never answered my question. Who were you talking to?" Byakuya asked her.

"Uh, well," she began unsure just what to say.

'What's your name?' She asked in her head, knowing full well that the voice would hear her question.

'_You aren't ready to hear it yet, Sayomi-sama_,' he replied.

"I have no idea," she informed Byakuya.

"You were speaking aloud, but you don't know to whom?"

"He says I'm not ready to hear his name," she answered.

"I see, so you were conversing with the spirit of your zanpakuto?" Byakuya asked.

"My what?" She had no idea what he was talking about. "Zanpakuto are swords. Why would they talk?"

"You really don't know anything about the zanpakuto spirits?" He asked her, he sounded like he didn't believe such a thing was possible.

"No," she replied a little offended. "I haven't exactly gotten out much you know."

"Of course, you are a woman after all," he replied.

Sayomi smacked the black haired noble on the shoulder. He seemed rather surprised by this and turned to see a very angry looking Sayomi glaring at him.

"Men," she spat before walking off in a huff.

"How is it I always seem to make her angry without doing anything?" He asked himself as he watched her walk away deeper into the immense gardens.

A rustling of cloth on the path he had followed Sayomi down drew his attention from Sayomi's retreating figure and to the man approaching, Sayomi's father.

"Byakuya, there you are," Hiroshi said as he walked about to the boy. "Have you seen Sayomi? I was hoping to speak with her."

"She went off that way," he answered nodding towards the path that Sayomi had taken.

"Did you make her angry?" Hiroshi asked with a sigh. "She never goes that way unless she's angry. I'll talk with her later I suppose, she's a bit.. hard to handle when she's angry."

Sayomi walked down the path that led to a large rectangular clearing, in the center of the clearing stood a large three tiered fountain. Walking towards the fountain, Sayomi sat down with her back against the cool marble, and closed her eyes. She listened to the splashes and bubbling of the fountain and the sound of the wind as it blew through the grassy clearing.

'So why is it I'm not ready to hear your name?' Sayomi asked the voice impatiently.

'_At the moment it's because you're too angry_,' the voice answered.

'Are you saying I shouldn't be?'

'_All I'm saying is that you need to relax and focus.'_

Sayomi sighed stubbornly, but began to try relaxing herself. She focused on the sound of the wind that was softly rustling the leaves of the nearby trees, blocking everything else out of her mind. Time seemed to slow down around her as a vision began to come into focus behind her closed eyelids.

At first she couldn't see anything but she could feel a cold wind blowing around her and felt her hair as it blew around her face and shoulders while the loose fabric of her kimono flitted around her small frame.

"_Open your eyes, Sayomi_," the voice instructed her, it sounded as if it were right in front of her.

Sayomi did as she was instructed and slowly blinked her eyes open. Standing before her was the most beautiful man she had ever seen, and was sure she ever would see. He was just under six feet tall and had hair the color of fresh snow, it fell to his shoulders in a straight stream of white, it was parted so that some of his hair was brushed over his right eye. His eyes were the deepest shade of blue, quite similar to the color of her kimono, and she was pretty sure that if she continued to gaze into their depths she would be lost forever in their mystery. He wore a white shirt and dark blue hakama that were tied with a dark blue obi. On his right wrist Sayomi noticed that he wore a bracelet, it was a link bracelet with a dark blue ribbon through it that tied neatly around his wrist. It would have seemed feminine on any other man, but not on him it looked like it belonged there.

"Who are you?" She asked in utter astonishment, her wide eyes and wonder filled voice giving away just how awed she was.

He smiled at her and she could have sworn she felt his happiness filling her entire being with warmth.

"_I still don't think you're ready for that," _he answered, but his smile didn't fade from his face.

"Where am I then?" She asked as she looked around for the first time.

If the man before her was the most beautiful man then the world around her was the most beautiful she had ever seen. She was surrounded by nothing but a pale blue sky that was just a little darker than her eyes. Below her was a snow covered mountain range, the wind, though invisible, was easily seen as the clouds and fog shifted and swirled in silvery white drifts. She had the sense that the winds were showing off for her, showing her how beautiful and powerful they were. A small laugh slipped from her lips as she watched the swirling and writhing winds below her playfully continued their unpredictable dance. It was then that she noticed what she was standing on, there was a strange white cloud that swirled beneath her feet, it was mostly transparent and the feeling left her a little nervous.

"_You're safe, no need to worry_," the man said to her when her smile dropped away from her face.

"I don't understand," she said, looking around herself. "Why am I here?"

"_You're here so that we can get to know one another. We are partners now, and I will never leave your side_," he replied.

Sayomi frowned, she didn't fully understand what he meant. "Are you a zanpakuto like the Kuchiki had said?"

"_I am_."

"But I don't understand, I have only seen zanpakuto as swords."

"_A zanpakuto is part of its master's spiritual energy. It is the physical manifestation of that power. This is how I appear here, in your inner world. You will have to bring me into the outside world on your own. Then you must learn my name_," the man told her.

"Why can't you just tell me your name?" She asked with a childish frown pulling at her pink lips.

"_It's not that simple. You will have to learn to trust me and know that I will always help you as long as you need me_," he answered.

"So how exactly do I bring you into the outside world then?" She asked impatiently.

A soft smile curved the mans lips upwards and once again Sayomi felt his happiness. He stepped towards her and placed something in her hands. It was cold and oddly heavy despite the fact that it fit on her small palm. When she looked down to see what it was she saw that it was a bracelet identical to the one he wore on his right wrist.

"A bracelet, I don't understand," she said as she looked questioningly up at him.

"_You will in time, but I think someone is looking for you. It's time for you to go._"

"I'll see you again though, right?" She asked. Part of her didn't want to leave the peace that this world had filled her with or the warmth that she felt any time the beautiful man in front of her smiled.

"_Of course, whenever you wish it, little one,_" he replied before disappearing in a fierce gust of icy wind.

Sayomi shivered as the wind circled her and was confused when the rushing sound of the wind was replaced by the sound of splashing water. She blinked her eyes open and realized she was once again sitting against the marble fountain and the strange, beautiful man was gone.

A sound of metal tinkling quietly drew her attention to her hands. Cupped in her hands was the silver bracelet with the deep blue ribbon. She stared at the sparkling silver chain for awhile, not really sure what to do with it, and afraid that if she moved it might disappear.

The sound of footsteps snapped her back to reality and she looked up to see that Byakuya had followed her to the clearing. She didn't say anything as he approached her silently and took the bracelet from her hands, she watched as he tied it securely to her right wrist before he backed up and offered her a hand to help her up from the ground.

Taking the offered hand after a brief moment of hesitation, she felt herself get pulled up off the cold ground. Neither one said anything as they made their way back to the main house. They hadn't noticed until they returned to the house that they were still holding hands, they wouldn't have noticed if Sayomi hadn't heard the angry whispers of a few jealous girls as they passed them.

Looking down, she realized her hand was indeed still in his and she quickly withdrew it.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, turning a soft shade of pink.

"Don't be," Byakuya replied, he seemed a little surprised at his own words but didn't try to change them in any way.

"Thank you," Sayomi said, smiling.

"For what?" he asked, a little dazzled by the light that danced in her eyes when she truly smiled for the first time that night.

"I guess for not being like the rest of them," she answered. "Now if you'll excuse me, I should really find my mother and father."

After a quick bow Sayomi was gone, leaving a confused Byakuya staring after.

'_She's one strange woman_,' a voice said in his head.

'Yes, she is, Senbonzakura,' he answered.

* * *

><p>~AN~

Thank you, thank you to all of my lovely, super amazing readers and reviewers!

Please push the button and feed the review monster! It gets grouchy otherwise and we don't want that now, do we? ;)


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach

**Chapter 6**

**Waking Up**

Sayomi blinked her pale blue eyes open and rubbed at her temples with her thin fingers. 'Another dream, I seem to be having a lot of dreams about the past lately.'

Blinking again, she looked from side to side without moving her head and a curious look found its way to her face as she raised one of her snowy eyebrows in bewilderment. "Where am I?" She slowly asked aloud.

'_You're at the Quincy boy's house_,' Fuyukaze replied in his cool, airy voice.

"Ooohhh," Sayomi drawled. "Uh, why?"

'_You really don't remember, Sayomi-sama?_' Fuyukaze asked, sounding a little concerned for her mental health.

"Oh, that's right. Shinji's a lying ass, Byakuya's alive, and Ichigo..." Sayomi sighed and trailed off as she ran a hand through her long white hair.

She slid out of the bed that she guessed Uryu had placed her in the night before and walked to the door that led into the living room. She was a little surprised to see that he wasn't there, there was a folded up blanket and a pillow on the couch, but no Uryu.

"He must have gone to class," Sayomi observed, glancing at a clock that was on the wall that read that it was a little after eleven in the morning.

Sayomi sighed and walked over to Uryu's couch and plopped down on it before resting her elbows on her knees and putting her head in her hands.

'_What are you going to do?_' Fuyukaze asked her.

"I don't know, Fuyu. I'm not going back to the warehouse. I'll most likely kill Shinji if I do. The fool lied to me," Sayomi answered her voice rising angrily at the end.

'_I'm sure he had his reasons_,' Fuyukaze told her simply.

'And I'm sure I know them,' Sayomi answered dully, reverting to thinking instead of speaking aloud, 'He was trying to protect me. To protect Byakuya even. A part of me can understand, but a part of me just can't forgive him for this.'

Sayomi stood from the couch and went to retrieve her bag that was leaning against the bed in the other room.

'_Where are we going?_' Fuyukaze asked.

'Home, and then to Urahara's. I don't trust him with Ichigo,' Sayomi answered as she flung the bag over her shoulder and left the small apartment.

When she reached home she took her time in cleaning herself up and even eating a small lunch before undressing and slipping her bracelet off her wrist before slowly beginning to change form until she was once again in the form of a small white cat. Carefully sliding the bracelet onto her neck, Sayomi leapt from the ground to her windowsill before leaping into the branches of the old knobby tree outside and snaking her way down its brittle bark. It was now mid-afternoon and the shadows were growing longer as Sayomi ambled towards the Urahara Shoten.

"You know you really shouldn't sneak around like that, Yoruichi," Sayomi called as she sat herself down on a brick wall not far from Urahara's shop.

A blur of black to her left caught her eye and Sayomi turned just in time to see gold feline eyes before she was knocked over onto her back.

"Ow! What the hell, Yoruichi?" Sayomi growled as she looked up at a black cat that was standing over her, smirking triumphantly.

"What's with the reflexes? You haven't gotten soft on me, have you?" the cat asked in a distinctly male voice.

"No, now get off me," Sayomi growled as she batted at the other cat's head.

"Now, now. Is that anyway to treat your beloved mentor?"

Sayomi snorted. "Beloved, huh? I think you've had too much catnip, Yoruichi."

"Oh, you're no fun," Yoruichi said as she leapt away from Sayomi.

"You got dirt in my fur," Sayomi complained haughtily as she turned her head to look at her dirty back.

"Such a spoil sport," Yoruichi sighed.

"Yeah, whatever," Sayomi grumbled.

"So what are you doing, heading over to Urahara's?" Yoruichi asked.

"I don't trust him with Ichigo," Sayomi replied.

"Ah, he'll be fine, Urahara's not that bad," Yoruichi said.

"Not bad? I almost got stuck being a cat forever because of his stupid experiments," Sayomi shot back.

"Such a _short_ temper."

"I'm short, I know, can we drop it?" Sayomi snapped. It had been a favorite past time of Yoruichi's to tease Sayomi about her height, but Sayomi was in no mood for it today.

"For now. You should get going, I believe Urahara was about to start training Ichigo."

"He what?"

"What? He's mostly healed," Yoruichi replied disinterestedly.

"I'm gonna strangle that candy selling idiot with a licorice rope," Sayomi muttered darkly as she darted off towards the Urahara Shoten.

She made it to the little shop quickly and jumped gracefully through the open kitchen window before running to a trap door that she knew was through the doorway and to the left.

When she got to the the door in the floor it was open and a shaft of light was shining upwards through it. She poked her head over the side in time to see Tessai raising a very large ax that he was preparing to bring down on a chain that connected an unconscious Ichigo to a very conscious, but very clueless Ichigo's soul. Three other people were in the large desert like room as well. Urahara and two children Jinta and Ururu who helped at the shop. Jinta was a red headed boy with a fiery temper, while Ururu was a little girl with black hair that she wore in pig tails and seemed to be very meek.

"Dammit," she growled as she darted into the door and ran down the wall just as the ax came down on the chain.

"Ow,ow, ow, ooooowwww!" Urahara suddenly cried as he clutched at his nose, blood seeping out from between his fingers.

"What do you think you're doing, Urahara?" Sayomi yelled from the ground below the blond shop keeper. She was standing on all fours, her tail low and her ears pressed against her head.

"Did that cat just talk?" Ichigo's soul asked as he looked at the white cat with wide eyes while pointing a finger at her.

"Huh?" Sayomi turned to look at a very confused orange haired boy, she blinked a few times before replying with a simple, "Meeeowww."

"We'll talk about it later," Urahara said down to the angry feline before turning to face the four people, well three people and Ichigo's soul, with a huge grin on his face.

"W-w-wait a sec, I needed that chain! I'm gonna die!" Ichigo shouted frantically.

"He's just now noticing?" Sayomi muttered quietly.

"Sheesh, you're so noisy," Urahara commented as he stuck a finger in his ear, twisted it and looked over at Ichigo.

"Oh, I'll give you a reason to be noisy," Ichigo retorted loudly. "The chain you jerks severed was the Chain of Fate! If it gets cut the soul can't go back to its body."

"Well, of course, I already _knew_ that," Urahara replied calmly as he stared at Ichigo who made to charge at him.

Sayomi stepped aside but it turned out there was no need when Tessai suddenly sat on Ichigo before he could go far.

"You knew, but you still cut it!" Ichigo shouted, flailing around beneath Tessai who had crossed his arms over his chest while he sat on Ichigo's back looking rather bored as the teen beneath him struggled to stand and get the large man off of himself.

"That's right, since your Chain of Fate is now severed you can't return to your body, Ichigo," Urahara said as he flipped his fan open to cover part of his face. "All you have left now... is death."

Sayomi mentally rolled her eyes at the blond shop keeper and had to resist a very strong urge to bite at his ankles. "Urahara," Sayomi growled.

"What?" He asked innocently.

"Would you get on with it before he turns into a Hollow already?" Sayomi hissed.

"Huh, oh right," he said as he turned his attention back to the raving Ichigo that was still flailing around beneath Tessai, "As I was saying," he continued loudly. "The corrosion of the chain has already begun from the severed end, if that reaches all the way to your chest," here his voice changed and became overly happy and a large grin appeared on his face. "It'll make a hole in your chest and you will become a Hollow. The end!"

Sayomi again had to beat back the urge to attack the blond as he threw a handful of confetti into the air. 'I really hate this man,' she thought as she stared at him, little pieces of colorful and shiny confetti gathering on her head. Her tail flicked violently behind her and she twitched angrily.

"What? Is that really what happens? I'm going to become a hollow?" Ichigo cried.

"Oh my, didn't you know?" Urahara asked as he blinked down at Ichigo innocently. "But don't worry," he chirped. "There's one way to prevent you from becoming a Hollow after the Chain of Fate has been severed. Only one."

Sayomi narrowed her eyes and watched Urahara look down at Ichigo as if he hadn't a care in the world. Ichigo, however, was staring intently up at him, his unease clear on his face.

"You must become a Soul Reaper," Urahara finished, he snapped his fan shut and lowered his hand to his side.

Ichigo's eyes widened as he gazed up at the man who had become so suddenly serious.

"That's right," Urahara sang cheerfully, the seriousness of a moment before vanishing. "Lesson two is for you to get your Shinigami powers back. When this lesson ends you will once again have the powers of a Shinigami. So shall we start lesson two? Shattered Shaft! Go!" He shouted as he turned with a flourish and pointed off to his right.

As Ichigo was looking off to where Urahara was pointing, he didn't immediately realize that something had happened to the floor beneath him. Blinking down at where the ground had been he saw...Nothing...

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Sayomi winced and walked towards the edge of the large hole that had appeared in the ground to peek over the edge. "It's pretty deep, isn't it?" She asked as Ichigo continued screaming for a few more seconds before a rather loud and uncomfortable sounding thud was heard.

"I put in a lot of work," Ururu, the little pigtailed girl who worked at the shop, replied as she held up her little arm and flexed it.

Sayomi blinked at her before looking at Urahara who just shrugged. She looked back into the hole and her eyes easily adjusted to the lack of light and found Ichigo and Tessai both at the bottom of the deep shaft. Ichigo's arms were now restricted behind him by what appeared to be thick strips of metal.

"Bakudo ninety nine," Sayomi muttered, inwardly frowning worriedly.

"Well," Urahara said as he stepped to the edge of the hole. "So just climb up here while you're indisposed like that. That's lesson number two."

"But that's impossible," Ichigo shouted.

"Oh my. You know you really aren't in any position to question what's possible. Look," Urahara said.

Ichigo glanced down to see that the chains had grown little mouths with sharp, needle like teeth and were eating each other, shortening the length of the chain. He then began screaming out in pain or surprise, it was hard to tell.

"Geez, he screams a lot," Sayomi grumbled, continuing to peek down into the shaft.

"Just don't get close to their teeth or they'll eat _you_ instead of the chain," Urahara called down casually.

The orange haired boy in the shaft fell face first in to the dirt when the teeth stopped their chewing and became still.

"Normally it would take months or even years for a Chain of Fate to get into that condition, but in the Shattered Shaft there's a special gas that stimulates the encroachment. In there it will take only seventy two hours, so three days, before the encroachment is complete. In that time you will have to become a Soul Reaper and crawl out of there, or you will turn into a Hollow and we will have to kill you," Urahara called down darkly and with utmost seriousness.

Sayomi stepped away from the edge of the shaft and walked over to Urahara who plopped himself down on the ground a few feet from the large, dark hole.

"You know full well that Ichigo-"

Urahara cut Sayomi off by flipping his fan open and fanning himself. "Oh, it's so warm down here, I think we need some water. Jinta, Ururu will you two get some water for Sayomi and me?"

The two looked at him oddly for a moment before Jinta shrugged and started to walk towards the ladder that led back up to the shop.

Sayomi waited until the children were out of ear shot before continuing. "He won't make it out of there without at least part of his soul becoming a Hollow and you know it," Sayomi hissed coldly.

"Then he'll have to learn to deal with it," Urahara stated.

"You know he can't do that on his own," Sayomi replied her anger was barely hidden behind the usual calm coldness of her voice. "Which means-"

"It means he'll have to learn to overcome it, you did it and so did eight others. Or do you doubt him?"

"I don't doubt him, but I'm no fool either. You're using him at the risk of his soul! Idiot! I'm not stupid, Kisuke, I know why that girl seemed so weak and wasn't regaining her strength while in the gigai you gave her. It wasn't a normal gigai, was it? It was an untraceable gigai similar to the ones that you, Tessai and all us Vizard inhabit, wasn't it?"

Kisuke ignored her question and stared towards the dark hole in the ground.

"I thought so. Why were you trying to hide a Soul Reaper from Soul Society?"

Still Kisuke didn't answer her.

"The only reason I can think of at the moment is that you put something in the gigai that shouldn't have been there. Say something like the Hogyoku," Sayomi said as she kept her eyes trained on the blond, "Since you aren't answering I'm going to assume that I'm correct. You're so set on training Ichigo, not because you want to help him, but because you want him to help you without knowing it."

"If he knows the real reasons I'm helping him he may not go to Soul Society," Kisuke finally said.

"You don't know Ichigo, Kisuke, he would still go," Sayomi stated. "The girl you implanted the Hogyoku into was a friend to him, she helped him. He wants to repay that."

Kisuke looked at her in surprise for a moment before the look faded and was replaced by a small frown.

"So the wheels are beginning to turn," Sayomi sighed as she laid herself down on the dirt of the training facility.

"It seems that way," Kisuke replied.

"You had better hope that Ichigo can do this. I'd go with him if I could, but..."

"Some of his friends are going with him and Yoruichi too. She's out helping them train right now," Kisuke said.

"Who?" Sayomi asked quickly.

"I believe their names were Chad and Orihime. I believe that Quincy boy is out training on his own as we speak as well."

Sayomi stood up abruptly and glared Kisuke. "If any one of them is hurt I will hold you personally responsible. They have nothing to do with this war, you should have let them live in peace."

"You know as well as I do that this upcoming battle will concern everyone. Soul Reapers and humans alike. They wanted to go so be glad that Yoruichi is trying to help them train the powers they have acquired."

"Just what are they capable of?" Sayomi asked as she sat back down.

"Oh that's right, you've been gone for awhile. Chad seems to have a strange ability that covers his arm in a strange armor and that packs a pretty powerful punch. Orihime can.. well.. summon little fairy things that can do anything from heal to create a barrier and even attack."

"Orihime is not fit for battle, she's too timid and self conscious," Sayomi stated.

"Yes, but the healing ability may come in handy. It seems she can reverse the damage done, not just heal."

"That's a very strange ability," Sayomi muttered, wincing when Ichigo's screams once again reached her ears.

They sat in silence after that, Kisuke sitting cross legged fanning himself as he stared off into space and Sayomi lying down, her head on her front paws as she stared off towards the rim of the Shattered Shaft.

"Stop being so gloomy, Sayomi. Ichigo is strong," Kisuke said. "He'll be just fine."

Staring at the shopkeeper for a long moment, Sayomi sighed. "You say that because you know he'll have help."

"He has friends-"

"I'm not talking about his friends, Kisuke. I'm talking about Shinji and the others. You know full well that once Ichigo returns from Soul Society it's unlikely that he'll be stable. That isn't going to go unnoticed. He's going to be like us, well, similar at least. They will want him to join them."

"So?" Kisuke questioned.

She sighed again. "Ichigo is stubborn, he won't want their help, but he'll probably take it. Eventually. As for joining them, you know he won't. He won't want to be tied to them, his fight and their fight are not the same. The end goals will most likely be the same, but the reasons why we're all fighting will be different."

"You make it sound as if you're not a part of the group anymore," Kisuke observed.

"I'm not."

"Isn't your fight the same as theirs?"

Raising her head and letting her feline eyes settle on Kisuke, Sayomi answered, "I want the same end as they do, but there's something else I have to do."

"Even if that means you can't fight alongside them?"

"Even if it means I can't fight alongside them," she replied solemnly.

"Don't do anything reckless, Sayomi."

* * *

><p>"It's been nearly seventy hours, Kisuke. What do you plan on doing exactly when he doesn't get out?" Sayomi asked as she turned her white little head to look over at Kisuke who was munching on an apple.<p>

"Well," Kisuke said, pieces of the apple spraying from his mouth when he spoke. "We'll just have to wait and see."

"Always cryptic, it never ceases to annoy me," Sayomi replied as her tail flicked about her.

"Me, annoying?" Kisuke said, offended as he tossed his now finished apple into the large pile behind him.

Sayomi rolled her eyes before turning her head back to the pit. Her head turned to the side as Jinta ran down the side of the large hole, a bowl of fruit held over his head.

"He likes to cause more trouble than is healthy," Sayomi grumbled, watching him lower the food to the ground a few feet in front of Ichigo with a wicked grin.

"I brought you some food, thought you might be getting hungry," he said.

"Well at least he's not drooling on him anymore," Sayomi said as she watched the red head talk to Ichigo.

"I'm not hungry, you little punk. Take a good look, the Chain of Fate is still long, I have plenty of time," Ichigo shouted in reply.

"Well, I'll leave it there for you. When you're down in Shattered Shaft you lose all sense of time," Jinta said as he turned away from Ichigo.

"Time?" Ichigo repeated in confusion.

"Yeah, you've been in here for about seventy hours already. You'll be a Hollow soon. Oh, and let me tell ya something else. The final corrosion, it's stronger and more painful than any of the others."

"Huh," Ichigo grunted as Jinta disappeared back up the high walls of the shaft, "Wait, what the- AHHH!"

Sayomi stood up and watched as the remaining links to the chain of Fate began to eat themselves. Ichigo screamed in pain and fear as they made their way closer to his chest.

"Preparing rescue operation," Ururu said as she held her hand, palm down over the hole as Ichigo screamed.

"Not yet," Kisuke said as he placed his hand on the small girl's shoulder. "Watch him closely."

"The order in which a soul usually turns into a Hollow is jumbled," Sayomi explained as she watched a white substance pour from Ichigo's mouth and begin to form a mask over his face. "Normally, his body would have disintegrated before it reforms. His body isn't changing though, the mask is forming first. Meaning that he's fighting."

"Correct," Kisuke replied. "Let's just watch him a little longer. He still has a chance of becoming a Shinigami. If he doesn't... then he will become a Hollow and we'll have to dispose of him. Just a little longer."

"Come on, Ichigo, fight. Fight and win," Sayomi urged as she watched the power struggle in the large hole.

For several minutes Sayomi, Kisuke, Ururu and Jinta all stood watching tensely as the mask that was forming on Ichigo's face continued to grow until it had all but enveloped his whole face.

"We can't wait any longer, sir, I'm switching to suppression mode," Tessai yelled as the bolts that held the metal straps to Ichigo's arms began to fly off as they were being bent apart. "Bakudo ninety-nine number two, Ban-Kin!" Tessai said as he slammed his palms into the ground.

White bandage like strips of cloth began to circle around Ichigo and wrap around him as he struggled against his metal bonds and against his own soul.

"First incantation! Shiryu! Second incantation, Hyaku-ren-san!" Tessai recited.

"What are you doing, Tessai? That'll kill him!" Jinta shouted into the hole as sharp needle like objects flew at Ichigo, stabbing him all over his body.

"I have no choice, I can't restrain him anymore," Tessai called back in response. "Final incantation, ban-kin-tai-ho!"

Sayomi watched silently, her eyes narrowed and her body tense as a large metal block appeared over Ichigo and began to fall towards him. 'Come on, Ichigo, this can't be it.'

There was a sudden explosion and Sayomi had to back away from the edge of the shaft before the bright light and heat could scorch her fur. Kisuke quickly stepped in front of Ururu and Jinta to shield them from the blast and even Sayomi had to huddle with them so as not to be sent flying by the force of it.

A black blur shot out of the hole, landing several yards away in a cloud of dust and smoke.

"Is that him?" Jinta asked, trying to peer through the curtain of thick dust.

Sayomi stepped around Kisuke and watched as a shape began to form when the air began to clear.

"A Shinigami uniform and a mask. What is he, a Hollow or a Shinigami?" Jinta said as Ichigo came into focus.

Sayomi took a few steps towards Ichigo, placing herself between him, Jinta, Ururu and Kisuke. He was indeed wearing the garb of a Soul Reaper but he was also wearing the mask of a bird-like Hollow. For her that was no big deal, it was quite normal in fact, but she couldn't tell just what had won. The Soul Reaper in him, or the Hollow. Even if the Soul Reaper part of him won she knew it would be short lived and that the Hollow in him would eventually make its way to the surface and try to take over his soul. It was a simple fact that couldn't be avoided, Kisuke had known that, but Ichigo did not. She figured for now it was better that way.

Ururu and Jinta both took defensive stances as Ichigo's hand reached for the hilt of the large sword that was strapped to his back. When he drew the sword it was just a partial blade, it had never recovered from the attack Byakuya had inflicted upon it a few nights before.

"Come on, I'll take you," Jinta shouted as Ichigo swung the blade out before himself. "Huh?"

Instead of attacking, Ichigo brought the hilt of the sword to his face, smashing the mask he wore into pieces.

"So he didn't turn into a Hollow?" Jinta asked as Ichigo removed the rest of the mask from his face.

"No, he won the fight," she replied. 'For now,' she thought to herself.

"Congratulations!" Kisuke cheered as he clapped his hands together. "You're a real Shinigami now. Good job, you've passed the second test!"

"Shut up, you fool," Ichigo shouted as he used the hilt of his sword to hit Kisuke in the face.

Sayomi had to resist the urge to snicker as Kisuke covered his face and crouched down, whining about his eyes and how mean Ichigo was.

"So now that I'm out of that hole, and alive, I'm going to kill you. I swore that if I made it out of that hole I would make you suffer," Ichigo shouted.

"Oh, well then, I suppose we can start lesson number three," Kisuke said as he stood up from his crouch, no sign of injury to his face and a big grin.

"You've gotta be kidding me?" Ichigo cried, throwing his hands up in the air.

"And about this lesson... There is no time limit. All you have to do is knock my hat off my head and I shall admit defeat," Kisuke explained cheerily.

Ichigo grinned at Kisuke before swinging his broken zanpakuto out before him. Kisuke's eyes nearly crossed as he looked at the small cut that Ichigo had inflicted upon his hat.

"Very good, that sword still has some power left in it," he said.

"Damn right. Forget your no time limit, give me five minutes and I'll have this finished," Ichigo said pridefully.

Sayomi sighed and walked off to were Tessai was now climbing out of the shaft. "You're a mess," she pointed out blandly.

"Thanks, Ms Himura," Tessai mumbled.

"Of course."

* * *

><p>"It's been five minutes, is he still running?" Sayomi asked Jinta as she walked up next to him and Ururu who were watching the 'fight' between Ichigo and Kisuke.<p>

"Yeah, the boss just keeps hackin' at him. He's definitely not taking this seriously," Jinta replied watching the fight taking place with dissatisfied boredom, he had been expecting something more entertaining. Instead he was watching Ichigo as he basically ran away like a scared puppy.

Sayomi sighed and watched as Ichigo leaped out of the way as Kisuke's sword came dangerously close to his neck. "This may take longer than we thought."

"What's he doing?" Jinta questioned as they all watched Ichigo come to a sudden stop, a look of realization sparkling in his eyes.

"He's a moron," Sayomi sighed blandly.

Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise when Kisuke cut his shoulder.

"He doesn't realize that the sword Kisuke is using is a zanpakuto," Sayomi elaborated. "He thought it wouldn't hurt him."

"What an idiot," Ururu said in her quiet little girl's voice.

"You got that right," Jinta agreed, shaking his head in disgust at Ichigo's stupidity.

"Get out of the way," Tessai called as Kisuke released an attack that was directed for Ichigo, who was standing a few yards in front of them facing Kisuke.

Sayomi had to scramble around the large boulder that was a few feet behind them just as Ichigo went tumbling past them followed by a rush of hot air and a bright flash of light.

"Was that really necessary?" Sayomi grumbled as she looked at her usually pristine fur with disdain since it was now coated in brown dust.

No longer interested in the fight that was going on around her, Sayomi hopped onto a boulder and began to clean the dirt from her fur.

'_He's not doing too well, is he?_' Fuyukaze asked.

'That's an understatement. He's doing horrible, he doesn't understand what a zanpakuto really is. If he doesn't get that much, he'll never be able to rescue that girl,' Sayomi replied.

'_True_,' Fuyukaze agreed. '_Do you think Kisuke will kill him_?'

'Who knows? I doubt it though.'

'_Sayomi-sama, I think you may want to watch them again,_' Fuyukaze advised.

'Why, so I can see how well Ichigo runs?'

'_No, because-_'

Sayomi cried out in surprise when she was thrown from the boulder she was sitting on by some unseen force. "What the hell?" she yelled as she landed on all fours several yards away. She was now quite fluffy, her fur had stood on end from the shock and her back was arched as if she were prepared for a fight.

'_I tried to warn you_,' Fuyukaze said and in the back of her mind she could see the amused smirk on his perfect face as he leaned back into a clear blue sky.

"Oh, shut up, Fuyu," she huffed indignantly and began to walk back towards the clearing the fight had moved to.

Ichigo now had a sword held out to his side. It was nearly as tall as he was with no guard and white bandages wrapped around the hilt.

"I don't think I can control this so I hope you dodge it," Ichigo said to Kisuke before swinging the sword out before him towards the surprised, whether it was real or not Sayomi wasn't sure, shopkeeper.

"Sing, Benihime!" Kisuke called out as a white blade of energy flew at him.

Sayomi turned her head to the side at the brightness of the energy but still saw Kisuke's hat fly off his blond head before floating down to the ground.

"So I take it you finally get it?" Sayomi asked as she walked up to sit beside Kisuke, her eyes on the very out of breath Ichigo before her.

Ichigo blinked at her in disbelief before passing out and landing on his face in the dirt.

"He must be tired," Sayomi observed, walking up to him and prodding him with her paw.

"That or a talking cat was more than he could handle at the moment," Kisuke said as he rubbed at his neck and grinned.

"Oh yeah, I forget sometimes," Sayomi replied. "I get so used to being in this form that I don't think about it being weird for a cat to talk."

"You're a strange one, Sayomi," Kisuke sighed.

* * *

><p>"Good morning," Sayomi greeted as Ichigo stirred and sat up on the bedroll he had been sleeping on.<p>

"Huh?" Ichigo said as he looked around the room in confusion before his eyes landed on the only other living being in the room. "It's just a cat, cats don't talk."

"Not all of them anyways."

"Huh, what the-"

"Seriously, is it that hard to believe a cat can talk?" Sayomi asked as she walked up to Ichigo who was looking frantically around them for the sound of the voice before his eyes rested on Sayomi.

"D-D-D-Did you just talk?" Ichigo spluttered out.

Sayomi sighed. "You know, Ichigo, I really didn't think you would react so-"

"Oh my god, the cat is talking! I've lost my mind. Wait no! I'm still asleep! That's it!" He yelled before he pinched his arm. "There, did that work?"

Sayomi stared up at him blankly, her tail lazily swishing back and forth behind her, her ears twitching slightly.

"I knew I was just imagining tha-OW! What the hell?" Ichigo yelled, clutching at his nose that Sayomi had head butted.

"You're an idiot," she said as she turned away from him and began to walk out of the room.

"Hey wait a second, you sound a lot like someone I know."

"Well, I would hope so, you fool," she replied, turning back to him.

"Sayomi?"

"Yes."

"You're a cat?"

"Right now. I can change back to human form if you'd feel more comfortable."

"Well it is sort of weird talking to a cat," he replied, scratching at his head as he stared at her.

"Why?"

"It just is," Ichigo replied heatedly.

"No, it isn't."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it isn't."

"Yes it...Never mind!" Ichigo shouted.

"No need to shout," Kisuke said as he slid the door to the room open, a finger in his ear.

"So when does the training start?" Ichigo asked eagerly.

"As soon as you're ready?" Kisuke replied.

"Ok, then lets go," Ichigo said as he jumped up.

"Are you coming, Sayomi?" Kisuke called from down the hall.

"Yeah, I suppose someone should make sure you don't kill him," she answered.

Ichigo stopped abruptly in the hall, causing Sayomi to bump into his leg.

"What the hell, Ichigo!"

"Why are you a cat?" He asked as he turned to look down at the angry Sayomi.

"Because it's easier than being in human form."

"So you're not human?"

"I thought that much was already fairly obvious," Sayomi replied, a slight trace of irritation in her tone.

"Then what are you?"

"I'm dead."

Ichigo looked at her blankly.

"I was a Soul Reaper before I came here, usually Soul Reapers are souls, meaning dead," Sayomi explained.

"Oh...Ok," Ichigo said, looking extremely confused as he turned to follow after Kisuke.

'_He's doing well_.'

'Better than he was doing anyway,' Sayomi replied to Fuyukaze while she watched Kisuke and Ichigo take swings at each other, block them and push each other away time and time again.

'_Yet you're still worried about him_.'

'He may be doing better, but that by no means implies I think he will be prepared for what he will be facing.'

'_In Soul Society or when he returns_?' Fuyukaze inquired.

'Both. What he faces in Soul Society is an entire army of Soul Reapers who have trained far longer than he has, but he's stubborn enough that I don't see that stopping him. Yoruichi will also be with him which is good, but still the odds are against him. What he faces when he returns may not be an entire army, but that doesn't make it any less frightening.'

'_No, I suppose it doesn't. But you did it, and so did several others. You've already said that he will accept the help of Shinji and the others, so why are you worried? With their help, and yours, he has very great odds, don't you agree?_'

'You know as well as I do, Fuyukaze, that even with our help there is no guarantee that Ichigo will come out of this alive.'

* * *

><p>~AN~

So, I've created a Facebook page for my 'author' self. The name to look for, if anyone is even interested, is Rukia's Page. Rukia's Page, just like that. I'll post updates and answer questions there. Hope to have see some of you there!

Thank you so much to all my lovely readers and reviewers, you make writing worth while! Thank you!

Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 7**

**Fireworks**

The days had past quickly. Sayomi spent much of her time overseeing Ichigo's training, but not participating in any way other than to criticize Ichigo's foolish mistakes. When Kisuke was satisfied with the growth he saw in Ichigo he gave him time off to rest. Sayomi didn't personally think this a good idea, Ichigo may have been pleased with his progress, but he didn't know what he was up against. She feared his pride would go to his head and hinder him in Soul Society where he would face enemies far stronger than the few he had faced so far. Especially considering the fact that the powers of those he had faced so far had been severely limited.

Kisuke kept telling her to relax and Ichigo did the same, assuring her he would be alright and there was no need to worry. That was why she found herself walking down a path that led to the banks of a nearby river. There was a fireworks festival that night and Ichigo had told her that a group of their school friends would be meeting around three by the river, he had also told her she was going because it would be a chance to see everyone she hadn't seen in awhile and to relax and have fun. She hadn't been entirely pleased with being ordered around, but she had had no choice but to agree when she had been given no time to answer before Ichigo had stubbornly stalked off to go home and change.

Her hair was left down and it blew out in the wind behind her as she walked. She was dressed in a pair of light jeans and a dark blue silky halter top that had a slight turtleneck. She had a light, cropped denim jacket over it and a pair of dark blue flats.

"Hey, Ichigo, wait up!" Sayomi called, running to catch up to the tall orange haired boy she had just spotted ahead of her on the walkway that lined the river bank.

"Oh, hey, Sayomi. You're not a cat," Ichigo observed as he looked down at his rather short friend.

"Nope, figured that might be a little awkward and hard to explain," she replied.

Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, but Keigo, a boy they attended school with, suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began to run at them. All the while he was calling Sayomi's name rather loudly.

"Sayomiiiii! Where have you been my short goddess of-"

Sayomi squeaked and ducked behind Ichigo as the brown haired boy charged full speed at her.

"You're mean!" Keigo cried after Ichigo's foot connected with his face.

"Thanks," Sayomi said as she stepped from behind Ichigo to look down at Keigo who was sobbing on the concrete.

"No problem," Ichigo replied blandly. "Although I don't see why you can't do it yourself."

"I might get dirty," Sayomi sniffed indignantly.

"Did you miss me, Keigo?" Someone behind them shouted.

"Get away you devil!" Keigo shouted and then proceeded to throw salt at another friend of theirs.

"Why is he throwing salt at Mizuiro?" Sayomi leaned over to ask Ichigo as she continued to watch as Mizuiro, who was also a school friend and also much more tan than usual, tried to fight off Keigo.

"Because Mizuiro went to Phuket with his girlfriend and a bunch of her friends, but he wasn't invited."

"Oh, right," Sayomi replied as she blinked at the two before turning away.

"Whatever. Hey, Keigo, the fireworks aren't until midnight why'd you drag me out here, when it's only three?" Ichigo asked, irritated.

Sayomi sighed and looked out over the river as Keigo proceeded to overreact and rant about how important the festival was and how glad he was to be there.

"Ah!" Sayomi yelped as she jumped out of the way when Keigo suddenly face planted into the ground where she had been standing. She blinked down at him in confusion, not entirely sure how he had ended up there.

"Sorry about that, Sayomi."

"Oh, hey, Tatsuki. It's no problem," Sayomi said as she looked up to see another classmate, a girl with short dark hair and a cast on her arm that she knew hadn't been there the last time she had seen the girl. "What happened to your arm?"

"Oh this?" Tatsuki replied, she waved her right arm in the air. "Nothing really. I was hit by a car at the Nationals."

"You were what?" Ichigo asked.

"I was hit by a car," Tatsuki replied again with a shrug. "Right before my next fight too. I got through that fine by using just my left hand, but the last guy was like a gorilla and I only came in in second place."

"Impressive," Sayomi mumbled.

"Hey, Sayomi, where have you been?" Another girl asked as she walked up beside Tatsuki with a dark skinned teenager that was almost twice Sayomi's height.

"Hi, Orihime. I had to go and help some family in another prefecture, I didn't have much notice so I'm sorry for not saying bye," she answered.

"Oh, that's alright. I'm just glad you're back," she chirped, smiling brightly.

"Hi, Chad," Sayomi said to the guy she dubbed in her head as 'the tall one'.

"Hey," was her only response.

"So where is it again?" Sayomi asked the group while they walked along the bank of the river.

"It's on the banks of the Onose River," Keigo answered.

"Oh, so aren't we there then?" Sayomi asked as she stopped and looked at the river.

"Not yet. They're shooting the fireworks off at the field across the river, we have to go further down to get a good view," Mizuiro replied.

"What's wrong with right here?" Tatsuki asked, plunking herself down on the grass. "Besides, if we get too close we'll just get lost in the crowds of people and the street vendors."

"Wha?" Keigo cried.

"I'm just going to keep walking," Sayomi said when Keigo began yelling about the importance of a festival and that a part of the fun were the vendors and beautiful women.

"I'll walk with you," Ichigo said, not interested in hearing Keigo rant.

"What's that?," Sayomi asked noticing the ground seemed to be shaking and footsteps echoed loudly around them.

"Ichigo!"

Sayomi blinked at the three people running haphazardly towards her and Ichigo. "Oh no," she said as they neared them.

She cringed and closed her eyes, expecting to be bowled over by the quickly approaching trio. There was a loud crash and a scream followed by excited laughter.

Sayomi blinked her eyes open and breathed out in relief that she hadn't been taken down by Ichigo's sisters, or his father for that matter. She looked down at Ichigo who was laying on the ground, his two younger sisters Yuzu and Karin sitting on him and happily chattering away about their day. She winced as Yuzu yelled at Ichigo who was refusing to eat her chocolate covered banana.

"Turn the volume down, will ya! Are you drunk or somethin'?" Ichigo shouted while he struggled to get away from his sisters who were grasping onto him.

"Actually, I'm absolutely wasted," Ichigo's dad, Isshin, said with a blank face as he picked at his pink cotton candy that he had held before him.

Sayomi looked at the man with a raised brow before shaking her head. "How did that happen, Mr Kurosaki?" She asked.

"Well, it was like this," he answered dramatically, waving his hands out before him and nearly hitting a passerby with his pink cotton candy. "Old man Ken put out a fruit juice stall, and I drank some of his juice, but apparently the old man's going senile," at this point he was facing away from them and pointing at his head while spinning a finger. "He thinks water is sake! So he diluted the juice with sake, it's not my fault!"

"Of course not, Mr Kurosaki," Sayomi replied seriously with a nod. "You're not to blame at all."

"He knew exactly what he was drinking," Mizuiro said as he leaned towards her.

"Oh yeah," Sayomi agreed.

"Oh, but forget that. I found us seats. I've been saving them since seven this morning," Mr Kurosaki called pridefully as he placed his hands on his hips in a very superman-esque pose.

"Let's go!" Keigo shouted, pumping his fist in the air as he and Mizuiro ran towards the older man.

"How about you lovely ladies," Mr Kurosaki said as he turned to wink at Sayomi.

"We'll be over there in awhile," Tatsuki said dismissively.

"Great!" he yelled before turning to run off, Yuzu, Karin, Keigo, Mizuiro and even Chad following him.

"Sorry about the chaos, Tatsuki," Ichigo said.

"Whatever. We'll be over there later, go ahead and catch up with them you two," she replied.

"See you later," Ichigo shrugged.

"See you guys over there then," Sayomi said with a smile as she waved at Orihime and Tatsuki.

"Are you nervous?" Sayomi asked while they walked a few yards behind the rest of the rowdy group.

"Nah."

"Not even a little?" Sayomi inquired, a brow raised in knowing disbelief.

"Well, maybe a little," Ichigo relented as he scratched at the back of his head.

"You'll be fine. Just stay away from the captains, they're in a completely different class than the others."

"What were you ranked?" Ichigo asked curiously, glancing down at Sayomi as they made they're way through the crowded streets.

"I was a-" She began before cutting herself off to stare ahead of her at the man who was making his way towards her.

"You alright, Sayomi?" Ichigo asked as he looked down to see that Sayomi was looking ahead of her, a scowl forming on her face. Looking around he saw a guy with gray hair, an eyebrow piercing and two gold rings in his upper ear walking towards them.

"Hey, who's this, Sayomi?" The man asked, walking dutifully up to her and nodding towards Ichigo.

"None of your damned business," she hissed vehemently.

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo asked, angry at the blunt question and the way Sayomi seemed to not be happy about seeing the man who had shown up.

"I'm a friend of Sayomi's, you little punk," the man said roughly.

"Just what's your prob-"

"Enough," Sayomi snapped angrily, she raised an arm between Ichigo and Kensei who were glaring at each other. "What do you want, Kensei?"

"Where have you been?" He asked Sayomi.

"Again, none of your damned business," Sayomi growled coldly.

"Dammit, Sayomi, everyone was worried about you and you've been off playing with the little Soul Reaper," Kensei said angrily while shooting another glare at Ichigo.

"Who are you calling little?" Ichigo barked, balling up a fist to shake at Kensei.

"What do I care if everyone was worried? Everyone lied to me! The whole time I thought he was dead, he was actually alive, and married," Sayomi shot back her voice rising dangerously.

"No one else knew, Sayomi. Shinji told us all he was dead and we all believed him. We had no reason not to," Kensei said calmly, even though Sayomi could see the surprise from her statement about Byakuya being married in his eyes.

Sayomi sighed and shook her head. "I don't care anymore, just leave me alone. You've done an excellent job of that in the last several years."

"Sayomi," Kensei pleaded.

"Go away," Sayomi sighed, waving her hand at him carelessly and walking off.

Kensei cursed as he watched her walk away, but didn't follow.

Ichigo watched her walk for a moment before shrugging and following after her as he looked for his friends and family.

* * *

><p>"Is Sayomi alright? She's been pretty quiet all day," Orihime observed to Ichigo while she stared at the white haired girl in concern.<p>

Sayomi had been withdrawn and silent since her encounter with Kensei earlier in the day, she had stayed a little apart from the group and watched as they all talked and laughed happily.

Ichigo shrugged in response to Orihime's question.

"Well, I should try to cheer her up," Orihime said determinedly.

Sayomi looked up from the blades of grass she had been pulling from the ground when a shadow fell over her. "Orihime? Everything alright?" She asked as she as she stared up at the girl whose hands were on her hips and she had a strange look on her face.

"You've been sad and quiet all day, but I have decided to take it upon myself to cheer you up. So come on we're going to get some ice cream. There's a vendor down the street that sells the best bean paste and pickle flavored ice cream," Orihime informed her ecstatically as she reached down and pulled Sayomi off the ground.

"No, I'm fine really. I don't like ice cream. How about some cookies?" Sayomi suggested hurriedly, trying to avoid eating strange flavored ice cream.

"Poor, Sayomi," Mizuiro said to Ichigo as they watched Sayomi struggling uselessly against Orihime's tight grasp on her hand.

"Yeah, Orihime does have some strange tastes in food, but at least Sayomi's not sulking anymore," Ichigo replied.

"True," Mizuiro agreed.

"Orihime, really I'm fine, I swear, see," Sayomi pleaded. She threw on a very big smile and tried to back away from the little stall they were standing in front of.

"But the red bean paste goes really well with the chocolate and strawberries and the sprinkles are so pretty," Orihime said as she held out a bowl of very strange looking and colorful ice cream out to Sayomi.

"I'm not hungry," Sayomi replied, placing a hand over her mouth while she shook her head.

"Oh, well I guess that's ok," Orihime said sadly, her head drooping in disappointment.

Sayomi sighed, she really didn't like making Orihime sad and it was hard to deny the girl when she was looking so dejected. "Oh, fine give it here."

Orihime brightened instantly and thrust the ice cream at Sayomi, grabbing her own from the large man who ran the stall before paying and then happily digging into her ice cream.

Sayomi gulped as she looked down at the mess in her bowl and wearily picked up her spoon, she took a small portion of the ice cream and cautiously put it in her mouth, her stomach instantly revolted and she had to force herself to swallow and smile at Orihime who was watching her in anticipation. "Good," Sayomi choked out.

"See, what did I tell you?" Orihime chirped.

'_You've fought against some of the most fearsome Hollows, but you can't say no to a human teenage girl?_' Fuyukaze asked teasingly.

'Oh, shut up you stupid jewelry wearing pretty boy before I make that little mountain paradise you're sitting in a desert,' Sayomi snapped.

She scowled when she heard Fuyukaze's amused chuckle echo in her head.

She and Orihime walked along, Sayomi taking small bites of the ice cream whenever Orihime would look over at her. They were on their way back to the seats that Ichigo's dad had saved for them all when Sayomi was suddenly grabbed from behind and yanked into a dark alleyway that was in between two brightly decorated street vendors. The ice cream dropped from her hands and splattered on to the ground as a hand wrapped itself around her waist and another covered her mouth.

Orihime looked around in confusion and scratched at her head when she saw no sign of Sayomi who had moments ago been right next to her. "Maybe she wanted to get more ice cream, I would have gone back with her."

"Hey, Orihime, what happened to Sayomi?" Tatsuki asked when Orihime rejoined the group.

"I think she went back for more ice cream, she just kind of disappeared," Orihime answered.

Ichigo looked over at Orihime and frowned. "Did she say anything before she left?"

Orihime shook her head. "No."

"Well, I'm sure she'll be fine," he replied, wondering if he should look for her. Knowing what he did about her, which wasn't much, but it was enough to make him wonder if she was alright. He figured that she could take care of herself though and would be fine.

Sayomi grunted as she was turned around and pushed back into a wall, she glared menacingly up at Kensei who had one arm on either side of her head and was scowling angrily at her.

"Why are you hanging around them? It's dangerous, Sayomi."

"Awww, is the big bad Kensei worried?" Sayomi taunted haughtily with narrowed eyes.

"Dammit, Sayomi, the kid's a wanna be Soul Reaper."

"And?"

"You're going to end up drawing unnecessary attention to yourself. Why are you risking it? Soul Society wanted to kill us for what we are, the order to terminate us still stands. If they come looking for that kid and you're nearby-"

"I'll kill them first," Sayomi said with a calm coldness while she folded her arms over her chest and stared bitterly at Kensei.

Kensei sighed exasperatedly. "Why? So that you'll be hunted? We've stayed out of Soul Society's way for over a hundred years, and it seems they've either forgotten us or have decided it wasn't worth the time to hunt us down and kill us. I like it like that. I don't want to fight Soul Reapers, Sayomi."

"I don't either, but I will do what is necessary to stay alive and make sure they all do too."

"You're not only putting yourself at risk, you know that, don't you?"

Sayomi scoffed. "I'm not involving you or the others. So long as you all leave me alone, like you have been, no attention will be drawn to your whereabouts. You'll all be just fine if you mind your own damned business like I told you to."

"Are you really that stupid?" Kensei shouted angrily. "If you're in trouble I don't plan on standing off to the side and watching you get killed, you know the others wouldn't either."

"That's not my problem. I don't need your help, Kensei. I'm not a little girl anymore and I've managed just fine on my own without you for years," Sayomi said icily. "Now move."

Sayomi narrowed her eyes at Kensei when he didn't move and a chilly wind whipped through the alleyway lifting her hair from her shoulders and causing little bits of frost to form on her eyelashes.

"I'm not going to let you go back over there," Kensei told her resolutely.

"Oh?" A snowy brow rose challengingly.

"We can do this the hard way or the easy way."

"Hn," Sayomi sniffed as the corner of her lip twisted up slightly.

"Sayomi," Kensei warned.

"Move. Now." The wind in the alley was bitingly cold now, the moisture in the air was beginning to freeze and causing a shimmering layer to form on anything it touched.

"No," Kensei replied, he appeared to not care about the dropping temperature or the icy glint that had appeared in Sayomi's eyes.

Shoving Kensei back forcefully and ducking when he tried to grab her, Sayomi raised her right foot at the same time and thrust it in to his stomach. She smirked at the 'umph' she heard him emit.

"Dammit, Sayomi," Kensei growled. Moving his head to the right as she threw a punch at him he grabbed her wrist and jerked her towards him, spinning her so that her back collided with his chest.

A growl rumbled from her throat when he pinned both her hands to her sides.

"Are you done yet?" Kensei asked angrily while Sayomi struggled against his hold on her.

Managing to get one arm partially free, Sayomi smashed her elbow into Kensei's ribs. When his grip on her slackened she stepped away from him, turning to glare at him as he grimaced and rubbed at the spot she had hit.

"That hurt," he grunted.

"That was the point," Sayomi shot back pompously.

Massaging his side, Kensei straightened up and sighed at Sayomi. "I don't want to fight with you, Sayomi. I just want to go home."

"Then go home."

"Not without you."

She snorted bitterly. "The definition of home, Kensei, is someplace where a family unit resides together. I don't have a family. I don't have a home. Not here."

"You do, you're just too damn stubborn to care. Everyone cares about you-"

"That does not make them my family!" She shouted before looking away and clenching her hands at her sides. "Just because everyone cares doesn't mean they're family. They're friends, Kensei, and nothing more."

"And what about me, Sayomi? Am I just a friend and nothing more?"

Glancing at Kensei out of the corner of her eyes, Sayomi felt a twinge of guilt slice through her gut. Her words were harsh and they had hurt him, she could see it in his eyes. She was probably the only one who would even have noticed, Kensei didn't express much emotion aside from anger to anyone. To him though, she wasn't just anyone. She never had been, she just didn't always know that.

"That's not what I meant, Kensei," she answered quietly.

"It doesn't matter, Sayomi. I don't expect things to be the same as they were, but that doesn't mean I don't still care," he said gruffly.

She closed her eyes and breathed out a long, slow breath before reopening them. "I want to go home," she murmured softly, her eyes glistening with tears that she wiped away before they could fall.

Kensei sighed and wrapped his arms around Sayomi's shoulders. "Come on," he said before kissing the top of her head and letting go of her to grab her hand.

"I don't want to go back there, Kensei."

Kensei didn't reply just kept leading her along, but he did give her hand a reassuring squeeze. She stared at the hand that had enveloped her own, it was warm and stirred old memories that made her heart ache.

Loud whistles filled the night air before erupting in crackling bangs. Sayomi paused and looked up into the starry night sky. A series of colorful blasts of light bloomed in the sky, throwing a wide array of colors splashing across her face. Kensei stopped when he saw her upturned face and the small smile that was there as she watched the fireworks explode into showers of reds, blues, golds and every other color imaginable.

When Kensei noticed he still held her hand, he looked down at their hands. Hers was incredibly small compared to his own. He loosened his grip on the thin fingers he had been holding so tightly and glanced back up to see Sayomi staring at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

For several moments they stood there, just staring into each others before Sayomi slid her hand out of Kensei's and blinked her eyes away from his.

"We should get going," she murmured.

"Yeah," he agreed, staring after her as she walked away from him. He hadn't lied when he had said things wouldn't be the same, he doubted anything would ever be the same. Especially between the two of them.

* * *

><p>~AN~

What happened to all of my reviewers? Only 3 people reviewed last chapter. That's down from the 7 the chapter before that... The poor review monster is hungry. He needs to eat or he's gonna get grouchy and that's never good. ;)

Thank you everyone!

Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 8**

**The Way Things Were**

The two walked in silence. The only sounds were of their feet as they walked and the crinkling of the plastic bags in their hands. Sayomi hadn't said a word since they had left the fireworks display. Kensei had asked her a few questions at the grocery store, but when all he got was a nod or shake of the head he stopped trying to get her to talk to him and left her to herself.

When they reached the barrier that surrounded the warehouse, Sayomi stopped and stared up at the empty space.

"You okay?" Kensei asked, pausing beside Sayomi and looking down at her.

She didn't look up to meet his eyes, but she did nod once.

"Come on," he said quietly, stepping through the barrier.

After watching him go Sayomi took a long slow breath and released it slowly before following after him. When she stepped into the warehouse there was a lot of shouting and arguing, it seemed that Kensei was supposed to have been back with food hours before.

"Sayomi," Hachi greeted, surprised. The large man was sitting against the wall, he had been watching everyone crowd around Kensei, but had sensed her walking through his barrier and had turned his attention to her. "It's good to see you."

Sayomi offered a wan smile. "You too, Hachi."

The noise in the warehouse quieted as everyone turned to Sayomi who was walking towards them to set the bags in her hands down. No one said anything as they watched her set the bags down on the table they were all gathered around.

Shinji stepped around Love so that he was standing beside Sayomi. He placed a hand on her shoulder when she wouldn't look up at him.

"Hey, I-"

"I don't want to hear it, Shinji," Sayomi cut in while staring pointedly down at the table.

"Welcome back, Sayomi," Rose said, reaching out to give her hand a brief squeeze.

"Yeah, welcome back, Sayomi," Love said.

"Welcome back," squealed Mashiro, grinning at Sayomi from across the table.

"Welcome back, Sayomi," Shinji echoed, squeezing her shoulder lightly.

"Can we eat yet?" Hiyori asked grumpily.

Lisa sighed, rolling eyes and muttering, "Classy," before raising her magazine once again.

* * *

><p>"Hey, have you seen Sayomi, Mr Hat and Clogs?" Ichigo asked as he, Orihime, Chad, and Uryu stood before the shopkeeper in his large underground training room that now had a very large odd rectangular doorway in it.<p>

"No, I'm sure she's fine though," Kisuke replied.

"I hope so, she disappeared so suddenly the other night," Orihime said.

It had previously been explained to her by Ichigo that Sayomi had been a Soul Reaper and that she had been around while he was training with Urahara. She and Chad hadn't known until then she was different from them and had thought she was human, they hadn't been very surprised to find that she wasn't, she had always had a fairly strange presence.

"Well, let's get this show on the road," Kisuke announced cheerfully.

After everything about the Dangai was explained and Kisuke rather forcefully ejected Ichigo's soul from his body, the gateway to the Soul Society was opened and the four friends ran into it accompanied by the black cat known as Yoruichi.

* * *

><p>Pausing as she chopped up a block of drained tofu that she intended to use for miso soup, Sayomi looked out the doorway of the warehouse with a frown. Ichigo's reiatsu as well as Chad's, Orihime's, Uryu's, and Yoruichi's had all just suddenly vanished from her senses.<p>

"What is it?" Kensei asked her, glancing at her as he cleaned a few fish filets.

She shook her head dismissively. "Nothing."

'Be careful and come home in one piece, all of you,' she thought as she went back to what she had been doing.

Kensei frowned at her but decided not to ask any more questions, he doubted he would get an answer.

* * *

><p>Kensei was sitting in a dark corner of the upper most level of the warehouse. His head was tilted back and resting against the cool, smooth concrete and his eyes were closed. Everyone else, except for Sayomi who was still in her room, was gathered on the lower level. They weren't doing much just chatting or reading the day's paper while they ate a small breakfast of leftovers from the night before.<p>

He heard the quiet sound of light footsteps and knew that Sayomi had left the confines of her room and had joined him on the dark upper floor. Her shoes made hardly any noise as she walked closer to him, her eyes having no trouble seeing him in the dark. There was a rustle of movement as she lowered herself carefully to the floor beside him.

"Can I ask you something?" She inquired quietly, lowering herself to the floor beside Kensei.

"You just did."

"When I left fifteen years ago, after I nearly killed Hiyori, why didn't you look for me?"

She didn't think she was going to get an answer and she had the distinct feeling that her presence was not wanted. With a quiet, shaky exhale she nodded in understanding and began to stand.

"I didn't think you wanted me to. You left without a single word, Sayomi. I thought you needed time to cool down, that you'd come back when you were ready. I didn't think you would disappear for nearly five years."

She bobbed her head, biting at her lips as she looked up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry, Kensei, for whatever it's worth."

"Don't worry about it," he replied blankly. "I always knew," he added quietly.

Not understanding what he meant, she turned towards him so she could see his face. His head was still tilted back against the wall, but his eyes were now open. "Knew what?"

"It was never me."

A full explanation wasn't needed, Sayomi understood what he meant without it. She took a shaky breath, her eyes blinking furiously as tears began to fill her eyes. "Kensei..."

"It's alright, Sayomi. I told you I knew things wouldn't be the same. I knew it fifteen years ago. Do you remember that day?"

"Vividly," she murmured. "You and I had a fight that morning. You were angry because I wanted to go to the old fields where the sakura trees grew. I would go there every year on the same day and every year on that day you and I fought. It was the day I had been told Byakuya had died. All I wanted to do was honor his memory, just like every year I would go and sit in the park on the far side of town, the one with Koi ponds, to remember my parents. I left without finishing our argument and when I came back you were ignoring me." Her eyes closed as she let her surroundings fade away only to be replaced with her memory of a day nearly fifteen years before.

_She walked into the warehouse, her white hair was pulled into a ponytail and she wore a pair of black leggings under a loose black and white striped mini-dress. On her feet she wore a pair of black ballet flats that made little noise as she walked on the dusty pavement. Looking around she spotted Kensei pointedly ignoring her as he read over a magazine._

_Sighing, Sayomi made her way to the hidden stairwell that would lead her to the large desert like room that lie beneath them. Once downstairs she jumped to the top of one of the large boulders before sitting cross legged with her hands in her lap and her head held high. She took in a deep, relaxing breath and let the now familiar world that Fuyukaze inhabited fill her mind._

_Instead of being on a cloud high above the frigid windy mountains they sat in a little alcove in one of them, a small fire burning towards the edge of the little shelf that they sat in. An icy wind swirled the slowly falling snow, making little tornadoes out of the white flakes as they fell._

_Sayomi leaned back against the cool rock of the mountain and looked over at Fuyukaze who was standing near the lip of their small hideaway. He was facing her as he leaned nonchalantly against the rocky wall, his face a blank, emotionless mask._

"_You look tired, little one," he observed, his crystalline blue eyes glinting with concern._

"_I don't understand, Fuyukaze.. Why is it so wrong for me to mourn for those I lost?" Sayomi asked sadly, bringing her knees towards her chest and wrapping her arms around them._

"_It isn't that you mourn for those you lost. I think in some way he feels you mourn for what you can no longer have and he feels he cannot make you happy when you yearn for something that he cannot give you," Fuyukaze replied._

"_He does make me happy though."_

"_I know that, Sayomi-sama, but have you told him that? You two have always fought on this day, but neither one of you have ever tried to speak civilly about it."_

"_Well, it's hard to speak civilly to someone who's stubborn and won't listen because he's too busy yelling and trying to pop a vein in his forehead," Sayomi stated._

_Fuyukaze smirked lightly at her and raised a white eyebrow. "Are you talking about you or your-"_

"_Oh shush, you know I meant Kensei," Sayomi retorted, shooting a poor attempt at a glare at him._

"_I know, Sayomi, but you weren't exactly being easy to deal with. You usually aren't," he added under his breath while giving her a playful smile._

_Sayomi glared at the beautiful man for a moment before shaking her head and sighing. "Yes, well, I may not be perfect but he has always known that. So he can either accept me as I am, past love and all, or he can find himself another girl to be overprotective of."_

"_He loves you, but you don't always make it easy on the poor boy. Talk to him."_

"_I know but-"_

_Sayomi's eyes flew open as she was jolted suddenly from her inner world back to the desert like room. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she stared up at the person who had so rudely interrupted her meditation._

"_What the hell's yer deal?" Hiyori asked rudely as she stared down at Sayomi, her hands crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face._

"_Do you have a problem, Hiyori? I was busy," Sayomi spoke quietly but coldly._

"_Yeah, I got a problem. You," Hiyori said while she drew her zanpakuto from its sheath that was strapped to her back._

_Sayomi remained sitting where she was, her face was blank but her eyes seemed to take on a slightly whiter tint as they narrowed slightly. "Unless you have a death wish, I'd put that away."_

_Hiyori snorted. "I ain't scared of you. I'm gonna beat some sense into that pretty little head of yers. Kensei deserves someone better than your snobby ass."_

_A freezing wind stirred around Sayomi, whipping her ponytail around her as she stared coldly at the blond girl before her. "You shouldn't stick your nose in other people's business, it might get lost."_

"_I don't know what he sees in you, you're a stuck up wanna be noble who can't get over another stupid stuck up noble. You don't care about Kensei, you just want all the attention you can get."_

_The wind around Sayomi sped up slightly and clear, glimmering crystals of ice began to form in the air and on the dirt around her. "I suggest you learn to keep your mouth shut before I help you," Sayomi said._

"_That noble ass is dead, get over it," Hiyori snapped. "You have someone who cares about you, but you don't give a shit! You're too busy whining and sulking like a little girl about a guy who wouldn't even marry you!"_

_There was a loud booming sound like thunder that echoed through the large chamber and the ground trembled, lose rocks tumbled and fell from their places to crash loudly onto the dirt floor._

_Everyone that had been above in the warehouse felt the tremors and heard the violent crash instantly disappeared from where they had been to stand in a semi circle to the left of where Hiyori was picking herself up off the ground, wiping the blood that was trickling out of the corner of her mouth with her hand. She was glaring heatedly up at Sayomi, who was still perched on the boulder, her legs crossed and her face cold and indifferent._

"_What the hell happened, Sayomi?" Kensei barked up at her._

_Sayomi slowly moved her eyes from Hiyori to Kensei, who upon seeing the frosty sheen in her eyes frowned. "She wanted a fight, I showed her she's no match for me. I didn't even have to draw my zanpakuto. How disappointing," she said blankly._

_Hiyori bristled at the insult and growled as she grabbed her zanpakuto from its spot beside her._

_Sayomi scoffed as Hiyori charged wildly at her, there was an ear-splitting screech as metal met rock. Hiyori had sliced downwards at Sayomi, but instead of connecting with her target the white haired girl vanished and she struck the boulder she had been sitting on._

"_You're slow," Sayomi taunted monotonously from the ground behind her._

"_Knock this shit off," Kensei growled at Sayomi as he walked forward grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the stairs._

"_Screw off, Kensei, I'm teaching your little wanna be princess a lesson," Hiyori yelled before leaping off the rock._

_Sayomi didn't move as the blade of Hiyori's sword neared her. Instead she smirked and calmly raised a hand, grabbing the blade and twisting it out of her hands before tossing it aside like a toy. "You can't touch me, so let it go or I will kill you."_

"_That's what you think," Hiyori growled as the air around her head began to distort and a white substance began to coalesce and form a large rhinoceros mask with a single horn on the forehead._

"_That's enough, Hiyori," Shinji said as he stepped forward and walked towards Hiyori._

"_Butt out, baldy,"Hiyori shouted before slapping him with a sandal and retrieving her sword._

"_Move," Sayomi ordered Kensei who was still gripping onto her arm._

"_No, you're coming with me. This is stupid, Sayomi."_

"_In that case... Sorry, but this is going to hurt," Sayomi said._

_Kensei scowled at her before she bent at the waist, twisting her hand from his grasp and shoving one palm into his stomach causing him to fly backwards a few feet before landing in a crouch._

"_Now," Sayomi said calmly as she held her right arm out to her side, her bracelet jingling and sparkling in the light. "Breathe, Fuyukaze."_

_There was a gust of wind that rustled Sayomi's clothes and hair as her bracelet seemed to shatter into millions of tiny snowflakes that swirled around her wrist to collect in her raised hand. The flakes of ice formed a sword with the purest silver blade and a beautiful deep blue and silver hilt. Grasping the hilt of the sword lightly the blade of the sword was raised so that it was perpendicular to her body, the way she held it was as if the sword was an extension of her arm._

_The eyes of several of the people watching narrowed and watched her cautiously, Shinji and Kensei both tried to take a step forward but were stopped when Sayomi brought her zanpakuto in front of herself. She loosened her grip on the hilt of the sword allowing it to to arc downwards in her hand, and with a light flip of her fingers, she spun the blade around her hand and re-grasped the hilt. A sharp, biting wind began to whisper around her and Hiyori, creating a circular barrier of wind between them and the seven others._

"_They can't help you now," Sayomi said evenly._

"_Like I need their help," Hiyori scoffed, her voice distorted through the mask that covered her face._

"_This is ridiculous we have to stop this," Kensei shouted at Shinji._

"_Let them be," Shinji said as he watched the brewing storm._

"_You can't be-"_

"_They've never gotten along, let 'em fight it out. Hiyori needs to learn there is a reason why Sayomi was a captain and she wasn't. She also needs to learn that somethings can't be said without consequences," Shinji replied._

"_Hiding behind your mask, you must be scared, Hiyori. I hadn't even called upon my zanpakuto yet," Sayomi taunted._

"_Shut yer trap," Hiyori shouted before charging at Sayomi._

_There were screeches of metal on metal and showers of sparks as the two girls fought inside the churning barrier of wind._

"_Really, this is quite boring. If I wanted to play pretend with a useless twit I would have fought Shinji," Sayomi said as she dodged another blow from Hiyori effortlessly and with a look of boredom on her face._

"_Hey," Shinji shouted. "That ain't very nice!"_

_Hiyori was panting slightly as she glared at Sayomi who hadn't even broken a visible sweat. "How many times do I have ta tell ya to shut yer damn mouth?"_

"_You're annoying," Sayomi said as she leapt over the blade of Hiyori's sword, flipping in the air and landing in a crouch right behind her. Hiyori's eyes widened just as Sayomi placed her hands on the ground and stuck her foot out behind her, landing a kick to the middle of Hiyori's back. The blond girl was thrown into the air and crashed into the flat side of a large boulder sending sprays of dirt into the air._

"_Damn you, you'll pay for that," Hiyori yelled as she pulled herself from the rubble of the broken boulder._

_Sayomi remained impassive as the girl shouted at her, "Are you just going to keep yelling or are you going to actually fight me?" she asked._

"_Oh, I'll fight ya," Hiyori growled._

"_Sayomi isn't taking this seriously," Lisa observed as she watched the white haired girl leap to the side to avoid an attack._

"_That's a good thing remember, Sayomi scares me when she fights seriously," Kensei said._

_Sayomi leapt aside as Hiyori's blade sliced through the air to the right of her face, she then raised her sword to block the attack that was now aimed for her stomach. Her eyes narrowed when she realized the blond girl was beginning to unleash more reiatsu and that the blade of her sword was slowly being pushed down._

"_I ain't gonna lose to you," Hiyori said as she continued to push against Sayomi's sword._

"_You don't have a choice," Sayomi replied as she grunted and pulled her sword downward, pushing Hiyori back and shallowly cutting her shoulder._

_Hiyori immediately leapt back towards Sayomi who spun to her left, but that was what Hiyori had expected her to do. Sayomi bent backwards and tilted her head but she couldn't fully evade the blade of Hiyori's sword. She hissed as the tip of the blade glided over her cheek._

"_Ain't so pretty now, are ya? That noble ass definitely wouldn't want you now," Hiyori jeered._

_Sayomi had had enough, she felt the thin line of blood seeping from the cut to her right cheek and the warmth of her blood as it dripped from her chin and down her neck. She growled before disappearing in a flurry of white wind._

_There was a collective gasp as Hiyori also disappeared from where she had been just seconds before. There was a loud crash and all eyes widened when they saw that Sayomi had pinned Hiyori to the sheer face a tall cliff, her hand tightly grasping the blond's neck while her sword was pressed against her throat._

"_I've had enough of your disrespect, if you have something you want to say then say it now before I really do kill you," Sayomi hissed coldly as she removed her sword from the girl's neck, leaving a thin red line of blood where it had lightly brushed across her skin. She released her grip on Hiyori's neck as well, letting the girl fall to the ground._

_Hiyori snorted and rolled her eyes. "I'll disrespect you as much as I feel like. You treat Kensei like crap, all you care about is that Kuchiki pretty boy that's nothin' but dust. The guy's dead, get over it. It's not like he actually planned on marrying you anyways, his family wouldn't let him. Isn't that the real reason the wedding was constantly put off? You weren't good enough for him, and ya ain't good enough for Kensei."_

_Sayomi's reiatsu flared and Hiyori gasped in surprise. "You shouldn't speak so disrespectfully of the dead," Sayomi said as her hand shot out, once again grabbing Hiyori by the throat and raising her off the ground._

"_Shinji," Kensei shouted._

"_I know. Let's go."_

"_He's dead it ain't like he can do anything about it," Hiyori snapped._

_Sayomi's eyes narrowed and her reiatsu skyrocketed, causing what little air Hiyori had left in her lungs to be expelled in a quick breath. The zanpakuto she had still managed to hold on to dropped from her hands as Sayomi slammed the girl back in to the cliff and began to raise her zanpakuto. The hollow mask on Hiyori's face began to crack and fall to the ground in pieces as she raised her hands to try and pry Sayomi's hand from her throat. "No, but I can."_

"_That's enough," Kensei said as he appeared beside Sayomi, he had a hold of her right wrist while the others circled her, all their zanpakuto drawn and at her throat._

_A bitter laugh escaped Sayomi's lips as she jerked her hand from Kensei's grasp and dropped a gasping Hiyori to the ground. She turned to Kensei and eyed him coldly before turning on her heel and walking away from the eight people who she had lived with for over eighty years._

"_Sayomi," Kensei shouted after her._

_She ignored him, instead opting to raise her zanpakuto out to her side. It shattered into a flurry of snowy flakes and swarmed around her wrist. There was a small flash as her silver bracelet reappeared and caught the artificial light of the basement._

"_Sayomi," he shouted again._

_She paused to look back at him briefly before facing forward again and disappearing, leaving only a few flakes of snow that floated in the air in her place._

Sayomi sighed when she blinked her eyes open to be greeted by the darkness she and Kensei sat in. "I shouldn't have left like that," she said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Silence fell over the both of them, the sounds of laughter from four floors below floated up to them and made the silence feel much more oppressive than it should have.

"She was right, you know? Hiyori," Sayomi spoke up, her eyes staring blankly ahead of her.

"I find that hard to believe," Kensei grumbled.

Sayomi offered an empty chuckle and nodded to the darkness. Kensei waited for her to explain what it was she meant, but when she didn't he looked over at her to see a glistening tear slip from her eye and down her cheek before dropping onto her shirt.

"She was wrong," he said, surprising her and causing her to look over at him. "About him. He-"

"I wasn't talking about Byakuya, Kensei," Sayomi cut in softly, looking away from his eyes while she reached for one of his hands that was folded over his chest. "You deserve better."

Taking the hand she had placed over his, he gave it a squeeze and sighed. "I know."

It took a moment for Sayomi to process what he said and when she did, she pulled her hand away and punched him in the arm. "You're an ass, Kensei." She was about to get up and walk away, but he tugged her back down and wrapped an arm around her before resting his chin on top of her head.

"It's in the past, Sayomi, leave it there. Things are different now."

"Yeah, they are," she murmured, relaxing against Kensei's chest.

"You gonna be alright?" He asked.

She thought over the question for several moments before sighing tiredly and nodded. "Yeah. Everything is just so mixed up. I don't know what to do, what to feel.. I still can't even fully comprehend the fact that Byakuya is alive and married. He was so cold, Kensei... His words hurt so much more than they should have and no matter how much I told myself that there was no reason to care what he thought any longer..." She trailed off and shook her head. "Things are much more complicated than they should be. Things were so much simpler before."

"Things have never been simple."

She laughed hollowly and nodded her agreement.

* * *

><p>Rose strummed absently at his guitar and glanced up to the crumbling floor of the fourth level. Sayomi had been up there with Kensei for nearly an hour now and there hadn't been a single sound from either one of the two. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.<p>

"You think they'll be alright?" Love asked, glancing up from the manga he was reading and noticing where Rose was staring.

The blond man sighed and stopped strumming at his guitar. "I don't know. I don't think things will be the same between them, but it's really not our business."

"They'll be alright," Shinji said, sidling up to the table and plopping into a chair, his eyes flicking towards the fourth floor.

"You know a lot of this could have been different if you hadn't lied, Shinji," Lisa pointed out, her nose buried in the latest swimsuit magazine.

"Sayomi never would have moved on if I hadn't. It's not like any of us liked watching her practically fade away. It was especially hard for Kensei. He never admitted it, but we all knew he had loved her since the day he met her. He was just too stubborn to do anything about it," Shinji replied.

"He wasn't stubborn, Shinji," Rose said. "She was with someone else and he didn't want to ruin the friendship they had, that was more important to him than telling her how he felt. Even after you told her Byakuya had passed away, he didn't want to ruin their friendship. That's why it was so hard for him to watch her every day. She was so lost. The poor thing lost so much, much more than any of us."

"They were good together though, weren't they," Love said.

Shinji nodded. "Yeah, they were. A bit annoying at times, but the two of them were good together when they finally both realized they cared about each other."

"Do you remember that day?" Rose asked, smiling at the memory. "It seems like so long ago, everything is so different now."

"Yeah, I remember," Shinji replied, nodding his head as his thoughts too were turned to the past.

Little did the group know that the minds of the two above were thinking about the same thing.

* * *

><p>~AN~

I'm tireded so I'm just going to say THANK YOU SO MUCH! to all of my lovely readers and reviewers. :)

It is now time to feed the review monster. Reviews are much appreciated!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 9**

**Remembering the Day the Rain Stopped**

A glimpse into the past...

Sayomi walked quietly into the warehouse, her dull blue eyes staring blankly at the concrete floor. It was late evening and a storm had begun to pelt sheets of rain down on the town of Karakura a little while before. She was soaking wet and shivering as she made her way to the back of the warehouse, through a doorway that led to the small rooms that had once been offices, but were now used as bedrooms.

Her hair clung to her face as little droplets of cold water slid down her cheek to drip onto the cool concrete floor, leaving a trail of small puddles behind her. Her kimono stuck uncomfortably to her body as she walked away from the group of people who were watching her as she wordlessly passed them all by.

"It's been five years, do you think she'll ever get over it?" Love asked as she disappeared through the dark doorway.

"Who knows? She never really accepted being here and we've been here for almost fifteen years now," Kensei replied.

"That's a little different though, the man she loved was still alive then. I think she's always hoped that some day things would go back to the way they were," Rose said softly.

"It ain't gonna happen, the sooner she realizes that the better. I'm tired of watching her sulk all the time," Kensei said.

"Worried? People will start to think ya like her, Kensei," Shinji drawled.

"I don't like her, I hate her. Stuck up pain in the ass," he grumbled.

"Uh huh," Lisa, Love and Rose said at the same time.

"Oh, shove it," Kensei barked as he stood up from the chair he had been in to stalk through the same door Sayomi had disappeared through.

"Would you knock that shit off," Kensei snapped at Sayomi, causing her to jump slightly in surprise.

"What?" She asked, turning to look at him from her spot on the ground in front of the door where she had been watching the rain as it fell. It had been raining for a whole week now and she had spent most of that time curled up by the door, watching as the different size drops fell from the dark gray sky and collided with the wet earth. She had always loved the rain, watching it, listening to it and the smell of the fresh water.

"You've been sitting there all week like some lost kitten. Stop moping around already, it's depressing," Kensei said.

"Oh, sorry to have to disturbed you, oh happy one," Sayomi replied in a mix of sarcasm and coldness.

"Just knock it off," he grumbled.

"Whatever," she mumbled quietly as she stood from the ground and walked away, back to her room.

"What was that about, Kensei?" Love asked curiously.

"Nothing, I'm just sick of her attitude."

"You mean the lack of it? You and her haven't gotten along so well in the last few years, have ya?" Shinji asked as he tilted his head back to look at Kensei from the couch.

"I don't think they ever got along to begin with," Love said.

"That's how they liked it, if they weren't fightin', they weren't happy," Shinji said.

Kensei stood abruptly from his seat and disappeared through the doorway in the back of the large warehouse.

* * *

><p>Her room was small, just like they all were. She had few things in the space aside from a dresser, a bed and a few stacks of books. There was one small window in the back of the room and she stared blankly out of it as the rain outside continued to fall.<p>

Sayomi had just finished changing into a pair of dark blue hakama and a sleeveless white top when her door opened without warning, she whirled around to face the uninvited intruder.

"What do you want?" She hissed coldly.

"I want you to stop acting like such a baby."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. All this moping and slouching around like you have nothing to live for is getting annoying. Where's the Sayomi that we all knew, because this sure as hell ain't her," Kensei snapped.

"She's dead, remember," she snapped back. "Died a long time ago when she went to help rescue some of her comrades."

"You make it sound like you didn't want to help."

"If I had known what was going to happen, then I wouldn't have," Sayomi shouted. "I lost everything because-"

"Like we didn't?" Kensei raged. "This isn't all about you, Sayomi. Pull your head out of your ass and move on."

"Mind your own damned business, Kensei! I know this isn't all about me, I'm not the only one who was forced from their home after being changed into a monster. I know that, but I lost more than just my home and you know that, so get the hell out and leave me alone," she yelled, as tears began to from in the corners of her eyes. She wiped them away angrily and glared Kensei.

"If you need to cry, then cry. Just get over it already, Sayomi. You knew a long time ago that things would never be the same again," Kensei said.

"Leave me alone, Kensei," she said as she turned away from him to stare up at the single small window in the tiny room.

"Why can't you move on, Sayomi?"

"Because I have nothing to look forward to now aside from killing the bastards that ruined my... our, lives."

"And then what? After they're dead, what will you do then?"

"Leave me alone," she muttered quietly.

"No."

"Dammit, Kensei, what the hell is your problem? I'm not hurting any of you, I keep my distance and leave you all alone, so do me a favor and do the-"

Her words where cut off when Kensei spun her around to face him, his face a few inches above hers as they glared at each other.

"My problem is that you're just giving up. Nothing went the way it was supposed to for you, well too damn bad, nothing went as it was supposed to for any of us. But you don't see us giving up, we're making the best out of what we've got. You're not Sayomi, she wouldn't give up so easily, she's too stubborn, but you, you're pathetic," Kensei said as he released her and made to leave.

"I'm pathetic?" She barked bitterly.

"That's what I said, care to prove me wrong?"

"Screw you, Kensei. What the hell do you know? I don't give a damn what you think, my life isn't any concern of yours, so butt the hell out already," she snapped.

"See, that's a little more like the Sayomi I know," Kensei said.

"Whatever, just get out before I make you."

"A threat, huh? Not too scary coming from a pathetic little cry baby."

Kensei caught Sayomi's fist as it shot towards his face, she cried out in anger and wrenched her fist away from him as she lifted her right leg to kick him in the stomach. He blocked her easily, simply raising his arms to knock her away.

"Jeez, is that all you've got? What a let down," he taunted.

"Shut up," she screamed at him as she launched herself at him again. She kicked and punched and spun but never landed a hit on Kensei who was looking rather bored as he swatted her limbs away from him like he was swatting a fly.

An angry snarl escaped her lips as she took a step back before lunging at him again when he yawned. Her fist collided with his stomach, sending him back a few steps, she spun on her left foot as she raised her right in an attempt to hit his ribs and knock him down. He caught her, however, and twisted her leg. She growled but jumped as he twisted her body, using the momentum to spin in the air and land on all fours, her head tilted up, an angry scowl on her face.

"Feel any better?" Kensei asked.

She growled again before snapping upright and tossing her right fist out towards his head, he turned aside as her fist glided passed his cheek and caught her left fist as she threw that at him as well. He grabbed her right wrist before she could throw another punch at him and pushed her back into one of the bare, hard walls of her room.

"Let go of me you bastard," she spat as she struggled against him.

"No, now stop bottling everything up and just let go already. You're not alone, regardless of what you think."

"Let me go," she demanded while she continued to struggle against Kensei's taller and much larger frame.

"You don't get it, do you?" Kensei asked the angry girl he had pinned between himself and the wall.

"Get what? That you're a meddling-"

Sayomi's eyes widened and she stopped struggling as Kensei's lips crashed down on to hers.

"What the hell?" She yelled as she shoved him off and wiped a hand across her mouth.

"You may think you're not hurting any of us, Sayomi, but you're wrong."

Sayomi just stared at him for a few seconds, breathing hard from the fight and the struggle to get out of Kensei's grip. Once her senses seemed to return, so did all of her anger, the numbness she had felt for as long as she could remember was swept away by the violent rush of emotion. With her anger came every other emotion that she had locked away to be replaced by the blissful numbness that she had let herself wallow in for so long. She hadn't wanted to face reality, but here it was kissing her and telling her things she didn't want to hear, true or not.

She needed to let it all go, it would consume and devour her if she did not.

Kensei watched her as she seemed to shrink and then fall to the floor in a heap, her shoulders bowed and shaking as quiet sobs racked through her body.

Sayomi let Kensei sit next to her and pull her into a warm embrace as she unleashed all the emotions and sadness she had kept bottled up for so long. The rain outside her window intensified and her room was filled with the sounds of the rain as it pounded relentlessly into the warehouse.

"How are you feeling?" A rough voice asked.

"Ugghh," was all Sayomi could manage as she raised a hand to her throbbing temples.

"Well, you look like shit."

Sayomi growled and blinked her eyes open to glare at Kensei who was sitting on the edge of her bed staring at her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, she had tried to sound mean and cold but her voice was gravelly and worn.

"Making sure you were ok," he answered.

"I'm fine, so leave."

"I'm not going anywhere, you need to learn that you have people who are going through some of the same things as you. We're here to help, Sayomi."

"I don't need your help, Kensei, or your pity now go-"

"Pity? Who the hell said I pitied you? I said you were pathetic, not that I pitied your sorry ass!"

"I'm not pathetic," she snapped as she tried to push herself up only to fall back on to her pillow with a groan as her head throbbed even more.

"Uh huh."

"Oh shut up," she grumbled.

"No."

"What's with the wanna be caring attitude? It doesn't suit you," Sayomi said after a few minutes of silence.

"Someone has to look out for you, you can't seem to do it yourself."

"Are you just going to keep insulting me? Because if so I'm not in the mood so go away and bug someone else."

"I don't want to."

"Fine, do whatever you want," Sayomi said as she rolled over to face away from him.

Sayomi opened her eyes after a few minutes of ignoring the fact that she could feel Kensei's eyes on her back. She grabbed her pillow from under her head and whacked him with it, sending him to the floor.

"What the hell?"

"Stop staring at me you damn pervert!"

"I wasn't staring at you! And pervert? I'm not a pervert!"

"What do you call watching a girl while she's trying to sleep?"

"I wasn't watching you! Why would I wanna watch you?"

"I dunno, you kissed me last night, so you must feel something for me," she shouted.

"You must have lost your mind, I can't stand you," Kensei shot back.

"Well good, because old men aren't really my type," Sayomi retorted.

"Who you callin' old, shrimp?"

"Shrimp?" Sayomi screeched as she sat up, her headache completely forgotten as she glared at him as he stood from the ground, she stood up herself so that she didn't have to look up at him.

"What, can't you see me from down there?"

Sayomi growled and punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow! Enough with the violence, woman!"

"Don't you woman me, Kensei!" She shouted as she as she put her hands on her hips and stared at him, a slight red tint to her cheeks from the yelling.

"What are ya gonna do about it, shrimp?"

Sayomi growled and lunged at Kensei, she tried to punch him but he moved and pushed her back. She threw another punch but he grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her.

"Are you done yet? This is getting annoying. Like fighting a little kid," he asked.

She threw her elbow back into his stomach earning a grunt and making him release her arm. She spun around to face him and to throw another punch but instead she found herself grabbing his shirt and yanking him down before pressing her lips to his in a rough kiss.

Kensei was a little surprised but responded eagerly and pushed her back into the wall behind her. Her hands snaked around his neck, while his hands found their way to her waist, he pulled her closer to him causing a small gasp to escape her lips at the roughness. Her head tilted back and Kensei trailed kiss down her throat to her shoulders making a soft groan escape Sayomi's lips.

Trailing his hands down Sayomi's body, Kensei lifted her up and she wound her legs tightly around him as he held her to him. Their lips met again and Kensei took a step back from the wall, Sayomi's legs tightened around him so she could keep herself upright as he took a few steps towards her bed. He lowered her down and laid over her.

She hesitated and Kensei pulled away from her, looking down at her flushed face and swollen lips in concern.

"I'm sorry, Sayomi," he said as he began to push himself up.

"No," she answered as she grabbed him and pulled him back down, she turned her head away slightly as if embarrassed. "It's just...I'm...I'm..."

"Oh," he said, slightly surprised, she was trying to tell him she was a virgin, something he hadn't expected. "We don't have-"

"I want to," she said before he could and pulling his lips back down to hers as she slipped her hands under his shirt and began to tug it over his head.

"Are you-"

"Stop being a gentleman, Kensei, it's annoying," she interrupted breathlessly as she ran her hands over his muscular chest and traced the tattoo on his abdomen with her finger.

"I'm just-"

"Shut up," she ordered as she bit his bottom lip before kissing him deeply.

It seemed like hours that they kissed and let their hands roam over each other, exploring one another as their clothes slowly disappeared, leaving nothing between them.

Sayomi was lost in in the feel of Kensei's hands on her body as he pressed against her and kissed her in places that awoke a fire inside her she had never experienced.

"Are you sure?" He whispered as he nipped lightly at her ear.

She nodded, her voice was gone and she wasn't sure she would ever get it back.

She felt his fingers entwine with hers as he pinned her arms above her head, gently though not forcefully.

"This might hurt," he said softly as he locked his eyes on hers.

Her hands tightened on his ever so slightly and she nodded. An instant later she had to squeeze her eyes shut as pain lanced through her body, she cried out and her eyes watered. Kensei kissed her gently and lightly squeezed her hands in reassurance.

If it hadn't been for the pain, a part of her thought the sensation of her body connecting with Kensei's might have been enjoyable, but the feeling of her insides being on fire was too much. A tear escaped her closed eyes and trailed down the side of her face.

Seeing the tear escape her eyes, Kensei released her hands and brushed it away with his thumb as he pressed his forehead to Sayomi's. Her eyes fluttered open and the moment their eyes met Sayomi smiled and wrapped her arms around Kensei pulling him down so that nearly every inch of their bodies were touching. She kissed the side of his neck before burying her head into his shoulder. Kensei's hands entangled themselves in her long hair and he tugged lightly, getting a soft moan from Sayomi in response as he brought her face back to his and pressed his lips against hers hungrily. As the kiss deepened so did their breathing and Sayomi could feel a new warmth building within her, this one was far from painful and she couldn't help but to dig her fingers into Kensei's back as the pleasurable feeling washed over her. She felt Kensei tug on her hair as his body stiffened and his back arched upwards, a small cry tore threw her lips as she felt her own body respond and her head tilted back as her back arched up and off the bed for a moment.

Kensei remained on top of her kissing her face and neck as she breathed raggedly, his hands were still buried in her hair and she was loosely clutching on to him. Now that everything had slowed and the euphoria of having been so lost in the feelings of what they were doing were wearing off, the pain between Sayomi's legs was once again very noticeable and she shifted her position under Kensei. Withdrawing slowly from her, Kensei laid on his side and pulled Sayomi to him, her eyes had closed and a few stray tears had found their way from the pale blue orbs and silently rolled down her beautifully flushed face.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his voice was unusually caring and warm as he held her to him and kissed her forehead.

She swallowed and nodded. "I'm fine."

Noticing that she was shivering, he reached down and pulled Sayomi's blue sheets and beige blanket over them. After pulling the blankets over them, he rested his arm over Sayomi's waist as she curled into his chest. They remained like this until Sayomi's breathing evened and she fell asleep in his arms. Kensei was awake for awhile longer, watching her as she slept peacefully, her lips parted slightly and a glow on her cheeks that he hadn't seen there before.

Kensei yawned and stretched but quickly realized he wasn't in his bed and there was something warm next to him. Lifting his head he turned to see that Sayomi was beside him, she lay on her side facing away from him, one hand under head and the other loosely clutching her blue sheet over her naked chest. A small smile found its way to his face, a genuine smile, not something usually seen on him as he brushed a few strands of her white hair from her forehead before kissing her head softly.

Doing his best not to wake her, he got out of the bed and got dressed before quietly leaving the room.

* * *

><p>Sayomi fidgeted in her sleep and slowly blinked her eyes open, she rolled onto her back and sighed when she saw that Kensei had already gone. She clutched the sheets over her bare chest and and closed her eyes.<p>

'He left, after all the things that happened last night, what we did, he just left without saying anything.'

She didn't know whether she should be angry or hurt or even if she should feel anything at all. There had never been anything between them but friendship before, she didn't know why she thought one night would change that, or if she even wanted that to change. She didn't know what had come over her the night before, but she knew she didn't regret it. Somehow in the midst of fighting and then joining together so intimately she had found the parts of herself that had been gone for so long. She had always known that she would need to move on, she just never wanted to do it alone and she wouldn't admit it. She thought that moving on would mean that she would have to forget everything, but she realized now that wasn't the case, she could remember everything but she could still be happy, something she hadn't thought was possible before then.

'I wonder why he left? Does he not feel-'

Her thoughts were cut off as her door quietly opened. She sat up in her bed, her sheet grasped over herself as she blinked at Kensei as he walked into her dark room, muttering to himself as he tried to shut the door. When he finally did he turned around and looked down at her.

"You're awake," he said.

"Yeah, where were you?" She asked, she frowned at the needy undertone to her voice.

"Coffee," he said as he held a mug out to her.

"Thanks," she said as she took the mug after tucking the sheet around her and securing it under her arms.

She sipped at her beverage quietly, keeping her eyes anywhere that didn't involve looking at Kensei. She didn't know why, but she felt extremely self conscious and a little embarrassed.

"Do you want me to leave?" Kensei asked sensing her discomfort but taking it as more of a rejection.

"Huh? No, I just.. I feel strange is all. After last night."

"Do you regret it?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Then what's wrong?"

"I don't know. I feel a little.. I dunno."

Kensei looked at her with her head bowed slightly and he saw the vulnerability in the way she sat and in her eyes as she cast a glance at him. He set his mug down on her dresser and plucked hers from her hands and set it down as well before sitting on the bed next to her and pulling her into a hug.

Sayomi didn't know how to respond, she tensed slightly in surprise and her eyes widened.

"Kensei?" She questioned.

"I won't hurt you."

She gasped at his words but couldn't think of anything to say so she remained quiet and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you," Sayomi said quietly after a few minutes.

A little surprised by the statement Kensei tried to look down at Sayomi but her head was tilted so that her forehead was pressed against his chest and he couldn't see much of her face.

"For what?" he asked.

"For everything. I'm sorry I've been such a pathetic mess."

"Don't worry about it, just knock it off, alright?"

"Alright...Kensei?"

"What now?"

"Why... why did you..."

"Isn't it fairly obvious by now?" He replied, tilting her head up to kiss her forehead again.

Sayomi smiled. "Who knew the ape was capable of being such a softy," she teased.

"Shut up before I kick your ass."

"Like you could, jackass."

"Nice to have you back," he replied after a few second pause.

Sayomi smiled. "It might take a little while, but I think I can start getting over it all now and move on to new things."

"Good. I don't want to have to beat you senseless again."

"Actually you didn't beat me senseless, I remember being the one hitting you," Sayomi pointed out.

"Well, I might not have beaten you up, but I remember you not being able to talk last night."

Sayomi turned a very bright shade of red and she turned away with a scowl on her face. "Shut up."

"Admit it, I'm the best," Kensei said proudly.

"Well, of course you are, dumbass, I don't have anything else to compare it to."

"What are you trying to say?"

"That if I don't have anything to compare-"

"You're not sleeping with anyone else, I'll kill him!"

"Jealous much, ape man? All I said was that I had nothing to compare it to since I hadn't done it before, so of course you would be the best."

"So I'm the best?" Kensei asked again.

Sighing and rolling her eyes, Sayomi stretched and 'accidentally' hit Kensei in the jaw.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Sorry, I was stretching and your big mouth was in the way," she replied blandly.

"Stupid woman," he grumbled.

Sayomi chuckled. "You're the stupid one, you like me."

"Did you just admit you're stupid?"

Sayomi blinked at him for a moment. "Shut up," she mumbled.

"Get up, the rain finally stopped," Kensei said as he stood from the bed.

"Did it?" she asked as she glanced back, out her window, sure enough she could see a few rays of the bright morning sunshine.

"Yeah, stopped sometime last night. Now come on, you're going to stop moping and have breakfast with everyone."

"Alright, alright," Sayomi said as she scooted to the edge of the bed the sheet still clutched over her. She looked at Kensei and raised her brows at him.

"What?"

"Get out," she said.

"Why?"

"Because I said so, now out," she said as she laughed for the first time in a long time and stood from her bed to push Kensei from her room.

Thirty minutes later, Sayomi had showered and changed into clean clothes when she made her way into the little area that was used as a sort of living room. There was a table and a few chairs as well as a couch and a few pillows to sit on.

Looking around she saw that Kensei was cooking as everyone else sat around, waiting for the food to be done so they could eat. She walked up beside Kensei who glanced at her curiously, she just smiled and helped him finish the cooking without a word.

After the meal was done they all went about their usual day. Sitting around the warehouse doing anything they could think of to relieve the boredom they felt.

Sayomi sat beside Kensei and leaned against his shoulder to read the newspaper he was reading. Wordlessly, he handed her a random section which she took before laying down, placing her head on his legs and holding the newspaper out before her.

The fact that Sayomi actually smiled didn't escape anyone's attention, the fact that she was practically glued to Kensei for the next few days didn't either. No one minded really though, the fact that they seemed to be off in their own world, they were happy for them. It had been so long since Sayomi had laughed and smiled and slowly she was becoming the Sayomi they all knew and missed. Of course that also meant that the loud, opinionated and stubborn Sayomi was frequently butting heads with the stubborn and quick to anger Kensei. The two would argue a lot but they always seemed to be enjoying it, the hints of smiles on their lips.

* * *

><p>~AN~

Yes, this is still going to be a Sayomi/Byakuya pairing, but the relationship between Kensei and Sayomi still has some relevance considering the two of them were involved for quite some time. There are emotions and feelings that shouldn't be ignored and lead to conflict later on, as some of you may already know. Anywho, this one wasn't changed too dramatically. Pretty much the same as the original. A few more chapters and we'll start getting into more and more new content as the story progresses.

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed! Your thoughts are much appreciated!

Please feed the review monster, he's grumpy today. Didn't have his coffee and someone ate all the cookies... Review please!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 10**

**And So It Begins**

Sayomi was perched on the edge of one of the walls that lined the roof of the warehouse, her legs hung over the edge and her ankles were crossed as she stared out over Karakura Town in the waning daylight. Her white hair was parted in the middle and pulled into two sections that were twisted and clipped together at the back of her head allowing most of her white locks to twist and whirl around her shoulders. She wore a pair of gray slacks with white pin stripes and a white tank top under a loose, black, knit sweater that she held closed over herself to block out the chill of the coming night. Her feet were bare and she swung them back and forth slowly as her head tilted up to the purple tinted evening sky.

"Come inside already, you've been there for almost a week straight," Kensei said as he walked through the creaking door that led to the roof and towards where Sayomi sat.

They hadn't spoken much in the days since Sayomi had returned to the warehouse and they had sat alone together, talking about the past and how things would never be the same. They both still cared about one another, but they both knew that for the time being being friends was more important than being anything more. They had been friends long before they had been anything else and it was their friendship the two wanted to preserve.

She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled lightly before turning back around. "I'm just distracted. Sorry, I don't mean to ignore everyone."

"What's distracting you?" Kensei asked, stepping up beside her.

"Nothing important, I'm just thinking too much is all," she replied, but the worry was noticeable in her voice along with a trace of what could have been fear.

Kensei frowned and looked down at Sayomi, she was definitely worried about something, but what would make her seem scared? Sayomi wasn't one who scared easily.

"Come on," he urged, stepping back from the wall she was sitting on.

"Just a little longer," she answered quietly, her dulcet voice barely carrying on the wind as she spoke. "Let me sit in this fleeting peace just a little longer."

Kensei nodded even though he knew she couldn't see it, but knew that she would sense his agreement. He stared at her back for a few moments, unsure if he should stay with her or just leave her be, he decided to leave her be.

She was so lost in thought, she had been ever since she had come back the week before. He figured it had something to do with the boy she had been with the day of the festival, the one that had the reiatsu of a Soul Reaper but who was in fact quite human. His reiatsu had vanished later that night, he didn't think the boy was dead and something told him that was what worried her. She couldn't tell if he was alive or dead and she was waiting for affirmation of one or the other.

That fact didn't bother him, he knew the boy was a friend to her, and her friends meant a lot to her even if she rarely showed it. There was also something that told him that the war they had been waiting to fight for a hundred years was now drawing near, that Sayomi knew that, and was only trying to bask in what was left of the tranquil days before the violence started.

Sayomi sighed after Kensei left the roof and looked around the city once again.

'The war has begun, I felt it earlier. There was a shift in spirit pressures, Aizen now stands in Hueco Muendo as king of the Hollow realm until he can stand upon a throne that no one has ever dared to try and take. He will attempt take it by force and this is meant to be the battleground, the city is innocent though,' she thought to herself as she turned her body and lifted her feet back over the wall so that they dangled a few inches above the roof.

She stepped down nimbly and didn't cast another look back at the city as she walked towards the door. "Whatever it takes, I will protect this city, and most importantly.. the people in it."

Everyone looked up as Sayomi walked back into the main area of the warehouse, her large knit sweater still clutched over her. She smiled wanly before walking to the table where Kensei sat at the table with Rose and Love playing a game of cards. A book sat on the table and she picked it up before walking to the couch, kicking Shinji who was sprawled over the entire thing.

He snorted awake and started to angrily protest against the abuse he had received until he saw Sayomi standing over him with a raised brow and her book held up, ready to smack him across the face. At least that's what he thought the book was ready for so he sulkily sat up so that she could curl herself up on the far side of the couch and read.

Sayomi looked up from the book she had been reading and cocked her head to the side, she blinked a few times before standing from the couch. She dropped the book in her hands on Shinji's head, he had been sprawled out on the floor by the couch since Sayomi had made him move so she could sit down.

Shinji yelled in surprise and pain when the book collided with his forehead and he swung his arms out as if trying to defend himself from unseen attackers.

"Sorry," Sayomi mumbled distractedly, staring out into the night beyond the large open door of the warehouse.

"What is it?" Kensei asked with a frown, she seemed completely lost in thought as she stared out of the door.

"They're back," she mumbled, a small frown forming on her face and worry creasing her brow. "But... Uryu.."

"Sayomi," Kensei shouted as Sayomi bolted from the spot she had been standing in.

"What the hell was that about?" Shinji asked grumpily as he sat up, absently rubbing the red mark on his forehead.

"I don't know," Kensei answered as he stared after, contemplating whether or not he should follow her.

* * *

><p>"What happened?" Sayomi asked, abruptly appearing beside Uryu who was just about to walk into his apartment.<p>

"We did what we went to do, and rescued Rukia," Uryu replied shortly while he pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"I meant to your powers, something isn't right about them."

"It's none of your concern, now good night," Uryu said as he opened his door and made to step inside.

"Hey," Sayomi objected, stepping forward and stopping him from shutting the door. "What's wrong?"

"You lied."

"Excuse me?" Sayomi asked in surprise.

"You're a Soul Reaper."

"I am not," she replied as if the idea was repulsive to her.

"You were a captain of the Tenth Division, you were counted among the strongest captains and you were engaged to Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia's brother. Isn't that all correct?" Uryu asked blandly.

"Well yes, but that was a very long time ago. I am no longer considered a Soul Reaper by Soul Society or by myself... Do they know I-"

"No, they don't know you're alive, at least not that they said. Yoruichi told us about it after Rukia asked her brother who you were and all he said was that you were dead and to never speak of it again," Uryu answered.

"Oh," was all Sayomi could respond with.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm tired and would like to get some sleep."

"Of course, I'm just glad you're back," Sayomi said as she stepped back from the door with a smile.

"Good night, Sayomi."

"Night."

She sighed and shivered in the chill of the night air, her knit sweater wasn't that warm and did little block out the chilly breeze that was weaving its way through the streets. Turning away from the door, she walked down the street and followed the paths to the alley that would lead her to Urahara's.

A voice greeted as she reached the opening in the fence that enclosed the Urahara Shop.

"I was wondering when you'd get here, come on in. There's tea ready for us," Urahara said, the blond was leaning against the door frame.

Silently, Sayomi followed Urahara into the shop and to the little room off in the back with the round table and comfortable pillows. She sat on a purple pillow and waited while he poured them both a cup of steaming green tea.

They remained silent for a few minutes each seeming to be thinking about the situation they found themselves in.

"So.. It's actually begun," Sayomi said while staring into her tea.

"It would seem that way. Soul Society is preparing to do battle in the winter, that is when the Hogyoku is expected to be fully awakened," Kisuke replied.

"Did he go with them?" Sayomi asked quietly, her fist tightening ever so slightly on the green mug in her hands.

Kisuke knew who she was referring to and looked up when he answered her with a, "Yes."

There were a few moments of silence as Sayomi thought over something before she looked up at Kisuke, a look of determination in her eyes. "In that case, I will deal with him on my own."

Kisuke looked a little surprised. "How do you-"

"Don't worry about how, I'll do that. You just worry about the orders Soul Society gave you," she cut in, a small knowing smile on her face.

"You're a scary one, you know that?" Kisuke said with a grin on his face as he looked over at Sayomi.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied innocently.

Kisuke chuckled, but a part of him wondered just what Sayomi was planning on doing. She was a very smart girl and that meant that things weren't always what they seemed with her. She wanted to confront a man from her past, she wanted revenge, but most of all she wanted to protect and possibly restore her pride and the pride of her friends that had fallen because of the things done to them.

* * *

><p>"Where were you?"<p>

Sayomi looked up at Kensei who was in the shadows of the warehouse, sitting on the ground with his back against a concrete wall. She figured he must have waited up for her, she smiled slightly at him finding his concern for her even after everything that happened to be very touching.

"Urahara's," she answered.

"Why?"

"It's begun."

Kensei looked up at her for a moment before sighing. "I thought so."

"By the way, I plan on going back to school tomorrow," Sayomi said.

"Why?"

Sayomi thought over it for a moment, staring off towards a distant corner of the warehouse. "I want to keep on eye on something."

"You mean someone."

Sayomi smirked. "Yes, I mean someone."

"What's with the kid, Sayomi?" Kensei asked.

"Nothing, Kensei, nothing at all," she replied as she walked passed him on her way to her room.

* * *

><p>Her shoes tapped lightly against the tile of the school hallway as Sayomi tugged at the annoyingly short hem of the skirt she was forced to wear while attending classes.<p>

"Can't they at least make the damn things a little longer," she grumbled to herself before cocking her head to the side and looking up when she heard what sounded like running.

"SAAAAYYYYOOOMMMMMIIIIII!"

Sayomi shouted in surprise and jumped behind Ichigo, who had just walked past her with his bag slung carelessly over his shoulder.

"Hey, Keigo," he said, raising his arm so that the brown haired boy that had been running at Sayomi ran into it with a surprised yelped before falling to the ground in a heap.

Sayomi poked her head around Ichigo and blinked down at Keigo. "What are you doing down there, Keigo?" She asked innocently.

"Oh, good morning, Sayomi. Morning, Keigo," Mizuiro said as he walked by the fallen Keigo.

"Hey, Mizuiro," Sayomi greeted with a smile.

"I'm gonna kill him," Keigo mumbled from the ground as everyone ignored him and walked around him.

Walking into the classroom, Sayomi returned to her usual seat in the back of the room, dropping her bag by the chair she walked over to the group that was forming around an annoyed looking Uryu. Chad was leaning up against the wall and Orihime was talking animatedly as she stood next to Uryu's desk. Ichigo walked up to the group a moment later.

"Hey, Ichigo, how are you?" she asked. "And where'd you get that thing?" she asked as she pointed to the weird looking object that hung from his belt, there was a skull with an X over it on it.

"A captain gave it to me. Ukitake, I think," Ichigo explained before muttering about the thing being useless.

"Ukitake's still around, huh? That's nice to know, he was always such a nice man," Sayomi said thoughtfully.

"Morning, Orihime!" A girl with short reddish hair and glasses screeched giddily when she grabbed Orihime from behind.

"Knock it off, Chizuru," Tatsuki scolded blandly as she walked into the classroom and promptly kicked Chizuru away from Orihime. No one really seemed to think this was odd so with a quick glance over at the group because of the noise they were making they all turned back around and continued with the conversations they had been having.

"Hey, I heard you got home early from vacation, but you were never home when I stopped by," Tatsuki said to Ichigo before looking down at something that had caught her attention. "What's that, Ichigo?"

"What, this?" Ichigo asked lifting a small charm that had been sewed to his shirt by his dad that morning. "It's a charm."

"I know that. A joke from your dad, right?"

"Yeah, how did-"

"It's obvious, who else but that weirdo, would give you something like that," she replied. "But anyways I meant that thing." She pointed at the substitute badge on his belt.

"Huh? Oh... I bought it at a shop," Ichigo replied lamely, scratching at his head uncertainly. "So.. you can see this?"

Sayomi's eyes cornered over to them and she watched as Tatsuki looked at Ichigo as if he were crazy. She stepped over to somehow change the subject when the door to the classroom slammed opened with a loud bang and the teacher, Ms. Ochi, stepped into the room.

"Good morning," the dark haired, glasses wearing teacher sang while she adjusted her glasses on her nose.

"Ok, now is everyone here?" she asked as she went to stand behind the desk at the front of the room and glanced around the room. "Hey, Himura, you're back."

"Yeah, sorry about that, Ms Ochi, I-"

"Well that's nice, you were always such a good student. I thought maybe you had been corrupted by some of the hooligans," Ms Ochi interrupted.

"Uhhh, no," Sayomi answered with a slight chuckle.

"Good, so I have some good news for you. We have a new student today," she announced.

Instantly, Sayomi's eyes narrowed at the mention of a new student and she was suddenly very aware of her surroundings and the fact that she hadn't realized that the 'new student' was actually someone she knew.

"I'm gonna kill him," she hissed quietly.

"Uh, did you say something, Sayomi?" Mizuiro asked from the seat to her left.

"Hmm? Oh no," she answered with a sweet smile and shake of her head.

'He's so dead,' she thought to herself.

She squeaked loudly and put a hand over her chest when the strange badge that had been given to Ichigo started blaring something that sounded like 'hollow' over and over again.

"Are you alright, Sayomi?" Mizuiro asked as he gave her an odd but concerned look.

"Fine, just uh, I thought I saw a spider," she answered with a small chuckle as Ichigo stood up and ran from the room while saying he had to go to the bathroom.

Chad and Orihime stood as well and fled the room even as Sayomi tried to grab Orihime to tell them they should stay, the Hollow wasn't a large one and she knew Ichigo could handle it. If he got there first anyway. The 'new student' was no longer in the hall, something Ms. Ochi found confusing when she popped her head out of the door to invite him in so he could meet the rest of the class.

Ichigo, Chad and Orihime all returned to class after only a few minutes. Orihime looked rather embarrassed as she scuttled to her seat and sat back down quickly.

"Ah, there you are," Ms. Ochi said when the classroom door slid open again and someone stuck their head inside and looked around curiously.

Sayomi glared at the all too familiar blond as he grinned at the class and sauntered his way into the classroom behind Ms. Ochi. She had to resist a very strong urge to jump up and smack im as he stood in the front of the classroom talking about his hobbies, waving his arms around like he was trying to keep from drowning on the air. Her nails were digging into the desk leaving little scratch marks on the wooden surface.

"There's an open seat in the back by Ichigo and in front of Sayomi," Ms Ochi said pointing the seat that was in front of Sayomi.

Trying her best not to glare viciously at Shinji as he walked to the seat, a moronic grin on his face, Sayomi looked to her left and out the window.

"Ichigo, huh? Looks like we're neighbors. Lets be friends," Shinji said to Ichigo who was in the seat to his left.

"Sit down, you fool, you're in the way," Sayomi said coldly earning her a few surprised looks from Ichigo and Chad, who sat to her right.

"Eh, yeah hi," Ichigo replied before nearly jumping out of his skin when the badge at his side once again started screaming at him.

Within seconds he was up and out the door, Ms Ochi yelling after him.

"Don't take it personal, that's just Ichigo," Chad said to Shinji as the blond sat down.

"He's just as I thought actually," Shinji replied as he cast a quick glance back at Sayomi and smirked.

Her nose flared slightly in her anger and her eyes narrowed. "What?" she snapped at him.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Shinji," he said conversationally as he stuck a hand out to her.

"Sayomi," she practically hissed as she tightly gripped his hand.

When classes ended for the day Sayomi stood up abruptly from her seat and grabbed her bag which accidentally happened to hit Shinji in the back as he leaned over to pick up his own bag. He went sprawling on to the floor with a loud shout, Sayomi turned to him and feigned shock.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Shinji, I didn't mean to hit you. Are you alright?" She asked trying to sound genuinely concerned.

"Fine, I'm fine," he replied as he pushed himself up from the ground, a hand covering his bleeding nose that had collided with the floor.

"Good, I wouldn't want to kill you on your first day," she said with a chuckle.

"No, of course not," he agreed as he stood up and brushed himself off.

"Well, sorry about that. See you later," she chirped with a wave as she turned to leave the classroom.

* * *

><p>Sayomi drummed her fingers across the brown brick wall behind her as she stood in the shadow of two apartment buildings.<p>

"What's with this school thing? Exams on the first day, that's cruel," she heard someone muttering.

Waiting for the person to walk past her, she stepped from between the buildings and raised her foot and sent it right into the person's behind, sending them flying a few feet before landing with their butt in the air and their face in the dirt.

"Ow! That hurt!"

Sayomi watched with a blank expression, her hands folded over her chest and a single eyebrow raised as the person she kicked turned around to face her.

"What was that for?" Shinji asked as he rubbed at his jaw.

Sayomi didn't say anything just stared at him, her fingers drumming against her upper arm.

Shinji gulped. "Now, Sayomi, he's one of us-"

"Yes. However, he isn't like us. His circumstances are different."

"Maybe," Shinji replied with a shrug.

"Not maybe, Shinji. Why wasn't I informed you were planning on recruiting him, since when did you do things without even talking to me first?"

"Will you recruit him?"

Sayomi glared at him but didn't answer.

"I didn't think so. He's one of us, he will join us," Shinji said as he looked Sayomi in the eye.

"If you force him into making this decision," Sayomi said before she turned around and began to walk away. "I'll kill you."

Shinji scowled at her back as she walked away from him before sighing and scratching at his head and looking up into the sky.

* * *

><p>Sayomi's eyes widened and she snapped the book in her hands shut to stand quickly from the couch, she tilted her head to the side as if listening to something and closed her eyes.<p>

"Sayomi?" Mashiro questioned curiously from where she was laying on the floor only inches from the television.

Kensei looked up sharpening a combat knife at the table and his brows drew together as he watched Sayomi's face pull into a frown. Standing up he walked around the couch to stand behind her and place a hand gently on her shoulder. "Everything alright?"

She didn't answer him right away, only pursed her lips more tightly together. After a few seconds of drawn out silence during which everyone watched Sayomi, waiting for her to let them know what it was that she had sensed. She was the most sensitive among them, she had been one of the most sensitive people even in the Soul Society.

"There's two, but... They're not fully developed," she said.

"What do you mean?" Kensei asked.

Sayomi reopened her eyes and glanced back at him, her frown still lingering on her face. "Arrancar."

"Already?" Love asked seriously.

"Isn't it too soon?" Rose asked.

Sayomi shook her head. "They're not complete. I suppose that despite how I feel about Shinji's tactics, if he hadn't gone out to meet with Ichigo they might not have shown up. They were drawn by the spirit energy leaking out of Ichigo, turns out I'm not the only one who finds Shinji completely annoying."

"I still don't-" Love trailed off when the spiritual energies Sayomi had sensed finally slammed down on them all.

"They're this strong and you're saying they're not fully developed?" Lisa inquired, a grim frown forming on her lips.

"It looks like we may have underestimated the strength of what we're up against," Love replied seriously.

* * *

><p>Sayomi was in her seat staring blankly out the window, her thoughts were turned towards the strength of the Arrancar that had appeared the night before. They were still not completely developed, but they were much stronger than expected. She wasn't sure what they had expected, they had been waiting so long that she couldn't even remember. She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear Shinji come into the classroom and harass Orihime or Ichigo drag him outside to quite possibly beat the crap out of him. When Shinji came back into the room followed by Ichigo, Sayomi raised her head and watched as a disgruntled Ichigo walked to his seat beside Shinji while Shinji took his seat in front of her.<p>

By the end of the day, Sayomi was livid. Shinji had decided to hang out with Ichigo and his friends, which included her, as much as possible, and his happy go lucky attitude was really beginning to grate on her nerves.

"Finally," she mumbled when the bell signaling class was out for the day rang. She snatched her bag and took off.

"Hey, Sayomi!"

She turned around at the sound of her name, ready to swing her bag right into Shinji's face, but it wasn't Shinji who was running after her.

"Ichigo?"

"Uh, hey... Listen I was wondering..."

"About what?" she asked as he broke off to scratch at his head.

"Do you know Shinji?" He asked quickly.

"The guy in front of me?"

"Yeah, the blond guy."

"Uh, why?"

"Well, he...You know what, never mind," Ichigo said as he turned abruptly and walk off.

* * *

><p>"She what?" Sayomi inquired crossly, her hands were shaking and Kensei was holding her back with one hand securely grasping her right wrist so that not only could she not move, drawing her zanpakuto would be difficult too.<p>

"You're overreacting, Sayomi, cool it," Kensei said.

"Overreacting, Kensei?" Sayomi snapped, the thin hold she had on her anger breaking. "She tried to attack Orihime and Chad. She could have killed them, you get that, right?"

"But she didn't," Kensei reminded her calmly, he was used to handling her when she was riled up and staying calm was usually the best route to take.

"I don't care, I'm gonna beat the crap out of the little brat," Sayomi shouted. "She needs to learn her place!"

Kensei grabbed both of her wrists and tugged her so that her back collided with his chest. "Enough," he ordered.

Sayomi growled once before letting herself relax in Kensei's grasp. "Fine," she seethed as Kensei led her away from Shinji who was standing next to an indignant Hiyori.

"You're lucky Kensei can calm her down," Lisa said as she looked down on Hiyori from the second floor. "You'd be cat food otherwise."

Hiyori snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'd make her dog food before she could touch me."

"Uh huh," Shinji and Lisa replied together.

* * *

><p>"Need a hand?" Sayomi offered, smiling wanly at Kensei when he looked over his shoulder at her.<p>

He shrugged and turned back to slicing up a steak.

Since it wasn't a no she stepped towards the counter where a few bell peppers, onions, potatoes and carrots sat. She rinsed them all in the sink before beginning to slice the bell peppers into strips. She had just finished with the bell peppers and was pushing them off of the cutting board and into a bowl when she stopped abruptly and gasped, her eyes widening and her face going pale as she struggled to take a breath.

"Sayomi," Kensei asked worriedly as he grabbed her shoulder.

The cutting board slipped out of her hand, scattering the few remaining strips of bell pepper over the counter top.

"Sayomi?" Kensei asked again, turning her towards him and tilting her head up so she would look at him. "What-"

"It's not..." She cut in, blinking up at him blankly. " It's impossible," she murmured.

"Sayomi, what is it?" Kensei snapped, shaking her shoulder. He didn't mean to be rough and he loosened his grip, but the look on her face and in her eyes was worrying him. Something was wrong and he wanted to know what.

"Wait," she whispered quietly.

The entire warehouse went silent, the only sound was a dripping noise from a leak in the roof. Pit... pat... pit... pat...

"This spirit pressure," Rose said, his own eyes widening seconds before there was a tremor in the earth that shook dust from the ceiling.

"No," Sayomi murmured, her head turning towards the door and a look of worry appearing in her eyes.

"Sayomi," Kensei shouted as she vanished from his side. He made to follow after her, but Shinji was already in front of him, blocking his path. "Move, Shinji."

"Let her go, Kensei," Shinji advised sternly.

"That spirit pressure is stronger than the Arrancar last night, a lot stronger, Shinji. She could be killed!"

"She won't be. Sayomi's not stupid, and besides, she wouldn't risk getting herself killed before killin' _him_, and you know it," Shinji replied with a glum sigh.

Sayomi used shunpo to soar over the roof tops and through the trees as she flew towards the spot where the tremor that had shaken even the warehouse had originated from. In the distance, she could see small wisps of smoke rising into the air.

'This spirit pressure, it's so intense,' she thought, the closer she got the more she could feel the weight of the new spiritual pressure pressing viciously against her own.

'_There are two of them_,' Fuyukaze told her urgently.

'I know, but what are they? They feel like Arrancar, but they're much too strong,' she replied.

'_We shall see in a moment_,' Fuyukaze answered, his voice unusually solemn.

Sayomi came to an abrupt stop, balancing herself on a branch near the top of a tall tree.

'I can't get much closer in this form, not without drawing more attention than necessary.'

'_But if they attack_,' Fuyukaze pointed out worriedly.

'If they attack.. well... we'll figure that out then,' Sayomi replied as she leapt into the bushes below the tree. A few short seconds later a blur of white shot out of the bushes and in the direction of the blast. 'I don't want to fight them though, not unless it's necessary. I just want to get their attention. Let them know I'm here.'

Sayomi sprinted to the clearing in time to see Chad fall to the ground, his arm was mangled beyond repair and there was blood spray everywhere. She saw Orihime, who had been carrying a limp Tatsuki away from the area that was littered in lifeless bodies set her friend down, and run back to Chad. She shouted something Sayomi didn't catch and strange fairy like creatures shot forward and surrounded Chad's arm. She watched in mild shock as the damaged tissue began to slowly repair itself.

"What about this one, Ulquiorra, is she trash too?" The large Arrancar that was towering above Orihime and Chad called to another, smaller Arrancar that was standing on the edge of a crater that she assumed was a result of their impact with the earth when they had come into the living realm from Hueco Muendo.

"Yes, Yammy, garbage," the smaller man answered. He had black hair, pale skin, and bright green eyes that were a few shades lighter than the cyan lines that ran down his face from his eyes to his chin. The remaining portion of his mask covered the left part of his head, it resembled a warrior's helmet with a single horn extending out behind him.

Both were dressed in clothing that reminded her of Shinigami robes, only the colors had been inverted. Instead of black they wore mostly white. The larger one laughed a harsh, grating laugh and shoved a finger towards Orihime who whispered something quietly, that to Sayomi sounded like 'Santen Kesshun'. A triangular golden shield appeared before her and Yammy's finger collided with the defense with a loud bang, the shield shattered when he withdrew his hand and Orihime shakily got to her feet.

"Interesting, isn't it?" Sayomi asked as she sauntered her way over to sit beside the smaller Arrancar, Ulquiorra.

She saw his green eyes glance down at her with disinterest, apparently talking cats were no big deal to him. "Aizen-sama has no use for pets. Whatever you are, if you wish to live, leave," he said emotionlessly.

"Sorry, not going anywhere. I want to see how this ends," Sayomi replied with a light tone. "Besides, I have a message for Aizen."

"I doubt Aizen-sama would be interested in a message from garbage like you."

Sayomi laughed dryly. "We'll see won't we. Tell him Sayomi says hello, I'm sure he'll be glad to hear it."

When she received no response, Sayomi stood back up, her tail raised proudly. "By the way, Aizen-_sama_ would want the girl alive. As you can see, her powers are more than just spells and kido."

Ulquiorra huffed arrogantly in response.

"Fine, do what you want with her, it's not my head after all," Sayomi replied as she turned away and began walking again. All she could think as she walked away was, 'Hurry, Ichigo.'

* * *

><p>~AN~

Sorry about the wait, I thought I had already uploaded this chapter. Apparently I did not. March needs to hurry up and be done. It's the busiest month for me work wise, it's been crazy and I feel like I've lost all sense of reality. I have no time to be human and social outside of work and school. Makes me all work and no play, which makes me a dull girl. :)

Anywho, feed the review monster please!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 11**

**Threats and Regrets**

"What happened?" Kensei demanded when Sayomi walked back in to the warehouse.

She had reverted back to human form and her head was lowered as she walked. "They're fully developed," she answered soberly.

There were several surprised gasps and a few curses in response, but no one seemed to be able say anything that could be considered a full sentence.

"I didn't watch the whole fight, but I know that Ichigo lost control after calling out his bankai. His time is approaching quickly. Shinji," she said as her eyes cornered over to the blond, they were cold, and distant as she spoke. "Stay away from the school. He knows what you are and what you can do for him, but he's stubborn. He'll try to handle this on his own. I'll keep an eye on him, but you need to stay away from him, let him think you've backed off."

Shinji nodded in reply, his face blank as he watched Sayomi.

"Another thing," she said as she began to walk away. "They're after Ichigo. Are you sure you still want to recruit him?"

He frowned, but nodded."Yeah."

Sayomi stayed motionless for a moment before nodding stiffly and walking passed everyone and through the hall that led to her room.

"She's actin' like a captain again," Shinji said after several minutes of silence.

"Is that a good thing?" Lisa asked, glancing up from her magazine.

Shinji frowned again. "I'm not sure."

"She's planning something," Kensei spoke up.

"Any idea what?" Shinji asked.

"No," Kensei answered as he folded his arms over his chest and frowned in the direction Sayomi had gone.

* * *

><p>"What do you have to show your brothers, Ulquiorra?" A brown haired man asked as he sat in a white throne of the smoothest stone. There were two other men, one on either side of him as he gazed down at two of his subordinates. Ulquiorra and Yammy, who was now missing an arm, stood below the raised throne.<p>

Ulquiorra reached up with one of his pale hands and proceeded to carefully remove his left eye from its socket before holding it out before him and crushing it in his fist. A strange mist seemed to creep from his hand and flow around the room to the other occupants who were watching with interest.

"It is ready, please watch," Ulquiorra said politely.

There were several minutes of silence as the events that passed in the day were replayed for everyone in the chamber.

"I see," the brown haired man said with a chuckle as he glanced to the man to his right. "So she did survive all these years."

"The woman asked me to relay a message. She said to tell Aizen-sama that she said hello," Ulquiorra stated.

"Did she now?" Aizen mused with a smile as he glanced to the grinning man to his right.

* * *

><p>Sayomi attended school each day that followed and sat quietly in her seat. She hardly spoke to anyone and she spent most of her time watching as the days wore more and more on Ichigo. He was tired, his eyes were worried, and he was less put together than usual. He wasn't even bothering to put on a facade that everything was fine, he withdrew from everyone and became just another face in the crowd.<p>

"Ichigo?" She said as she approached him after four days of classes.

He turned to her without seeming to really see her, but he didn't say anything.

"It's not your fault, you know that, right?" She asked.

His brow furrowed and a frown pulled down his lips. "They got hurt because I couldn't get there fast enough. I let them down."

"Then is it my fault too?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, surprised.

"I couldn't get there at all," she lied sadly.

"That's different. I know you have to be careful to avoid being detected."

"I do."

"I gotta get going, I'll see you later, Sayomi," Ichigo said as he prepared to walk off.

* * *

><p>Sayomi nodded and smiled softly as she waved at him.<p>

"I don't think you should go."

"I'll be fine, Kensei. Now please put me down," Sayomi sighed monotonously.

Kensei had tossed Sayomi over his shoulder as she had prepared to leave for school, she looked rather bored with the situation as she hung limply in his grasp.

"No, you shouldn't go out. Not with so many Soul Reapers so close," he said.

"Kensei, I'm not in the mood for this nonsense. Now put me down," Sayomi replied blandly.

"I don't like this, Sayomi. There's too many."

"They're here because of the Arrancar invasion, not to get me, or us. Now let me go, I'm going to be late," she said evenly.

Kensei set her down roughly with a huff. "Don't do anything stupid."

She scoffed at his response before grabbing her bag and leaving.

"Hey, Orihime. You look..."

"Oh, I'm fine," Orihime said quickly smiling widely. "I just fell down some stairs."

Sayomi walked into the classroom to see Chizuru staring at Orihime, who was giggling and scratching at the back of her head with her arm that wasn't in a cast.

"Hey, Orihime," Sayomi greeted with a smile.

"Oh, hey, Sayomi. So did hear about the...the strange people who fell from the sky?"

Sayomi blinked at Orihime in disbelief and opened her mouth to respond, only she didn't know what to say.

"More of your stories, Orihime? Doesn't your imagination ever stop?" Tatsuki teased as she walked up to the two girls and patted Orihime on the head.

Orihime started laughing nervously again and Sayomi could only sigh, at least no one believed the things Orihime said or there would be a lot of explaining to do.

"Morning, Ichigo," Sayomi sang happily as Ichigo walked into the classroom.

"Hey," was her only response as he looked up at Orihime apologetically. "Hey, Orihime."

"Oh, hi, Ichigo," Orihime replied quickly as she started blushing.

"Look, I-I-"

Sayomi's head snapped towards the doorway and a small growl rumbled out of her throat. "Dammit," she cursed quietly.

"What's wrong?" Orihime asked as Sayomi stood quickly and grabbed her bag which she slung carelessly over her shoulder.

"Nothing, I just remembered I had a.. a doctor's appointment. I need to go," she answered as she made her way to the door and quickly left the room.

She could hear the approach of several people, their footsteps echoing in the mostly deserted halls.

"You know, Captain, you look cute in those clothes," she heard a distinctly feminine voice say.

"Shut up, Matsumoto," a gruff, almost childlike male voice answered in annoyance.

"What classroom was it again?" Another male voice asked.

"I don't know," the female replied cheerily.

"But I thought you had the paper?"

"I lost it," the female chirped.

"Hey, what's with that look, Matsumoto, you're not trying to think are you?" A harsh male voice asked.

Sayomi turned the corner at the end of the hall just as she heard the door to the classroom she had been in slide open, she cast a single quick glance over her shoulder and caught the eyes of a busty woman with reddish blond hair. The woman looked surprised and blinked at Sayomi like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. There was a white haired boy beside her who looked in her direction as if he sensed her, but she was gone before his eyes could find her.

"Snap out of it, Matsumoto," a rather cheery male voice snapped.

"Huh, buzz off, feathers," she replied as she followed the four men she was with into the classroom. They looked surprised by her outburst and a little worried over the thoughtful expression on her face, but that disappeared as soon as she saw Ichigo. "Hey, Ichigo!"

* * *

><p>"Back so soon?" Kensei grunted when Sayomi walked into the warehouse.<p>

Sayomi glanced at Kensei disinterestedly before huffing and walking passed the group that was huddled over the table eating lunch.

"Has she said anything to you, Kensei?" Shinji asked.

Kensei shook his head and scowled. "No. Things aren't what they used to be, Shinji."

Shinji sighed. "Just... Keep an eye on her," Shinji replied.

Kensei frowned, but nodded before going back to his lunch. He didn't see how he would be able to keep an eye on her when she was withdrawing from everyone. She hadn't spoken to anyone much since she had returned to the warehouse after Byakuya Kuchiki's reappearance into her life. She had been civil though, she had had no reason not to be. Friends were still friends regardless of whether or not Byakuya was alive and she knew that. However, the relationship between the two of them was still rather undefined, they were friends, they always had been and they always would be, but he couldn't forget that they had been something more too. He doubted she could either which was likely why she had a hard time looking at him without looking pained.

After tossing her bag on the floor near her door, Sayomi sat down on her bed. She crossed her legs and rested her hands in her lap as she shut her eyes and exhaled slowly.

Fuyukaze appeared before her, his white hair was pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck as he stood towards the mouth of the cave they were in. It was cool in the cave despite the fire that was crackling in the center of the earthen floor. Even as she leaned against the rock wall at the very back of the cave Sayomi could feel the wind that blew in icy gusts behind Fuyukaze. She could see the white of the snow and frost that was being pushed violently through the turbulent winds outside.

Pulling her hair back from her face in an attempt to keep it from blowing into her eyes, Sayomi scowled at Fuyukaze as he stared, emotionless, down at her, wisps of his hair dancing behind him in the breeze that whispered through the cave.

"_Don't look at me like the wind is my fault, Sayomi-hime, you're the one struggling. I'm just the one stuck here while the wind rips apart the mountains_," Fuyukaze said upon noticing her frown.

"I'm aware of that, Fuyukaze," Sayomi replied. "But you haven't been talking to me."

"_Could you hear me through the howling of the gusts?_" Fuyukaze retorted as he cast a glance behind him and out of the cave.

"You know full well that I could. You aren't happy with me," it wasn't a question it was a statement, she and Fuyukaze had been together a long time, they knew each other well.

"_I'm often not, you can be quite difficult to get along with,_" he replied dryly.

"And you can be an arrogant ass," Sayomi snapped before sighing and hanging her head. "I'm sorry, Fuyu, but I made my decision a long time ago. I have to do this and I can't do it without you."

"_Of course you can't_," Fuyukaze snorted.

Sayomi smirked and raised her head to look him in the eyes. "You really are beautiful, you know that," she said wistfully.

Fuyukaze raised an eyebrow at her skeptically. "_I'm aware, but where did that come from_?"

"What? I can't admire your beauty? Sheesh," she replied as she rolled her eyes dramatically.

"_I don't mind that at all, it's just not like you to be so forward_."

Sayomi snorted. "You're full of yourself."

"_So are you_."

"Eh," she answered as she shrugged a shoulder.

"_The wind has let up a little_," Fuyukaze said as he turned his head to look out the mouth of the cave.

"Has it?" Sayomi asked quietly, her head was tilted back against the rock wall behind her and her eyes were closed.

"_Yes_," he answered as he walked forward and sat beside Sayomi.

Sayomi opened her eyes and tilted her head to smile at him. "Sorry I haven't visited much, I don't really know why that is."

"_You've been distracted, I understand. I know what's going on in that thick skull of yours, and I may not like it, but I'm only worried about you_," Fuyukaze said with a sigh.

"I know. You're always trying to protect me, Fuyu, thank you," she replied as she leaned against his shoulder.

"_You're cold_," he said, noticing the goosebumps on her arms.

"I'm sorry I've made it so unbearable here, I didn't realize how much I was worrying."

"_Shh_..."

Fuyukaze wrapped his arm around Sayomi and pulled her closer to him, she was small enough that she fit in the crook of his arm and she curled herself into him and let herself drift off to sleep.

Fuyukaze watched as the wind outside began to blow less harshly and the flurries of snow and ice all but disappeared. The world lightened just a little bit as the dark clouds retreated and the sky returned to a pale blue.

"_Sayomi-sama...It's time for you to wake, little one_."

"What's wrong, Fuyukaze?" She asked sleepily as she blinked her tired eyes open.

"_You've been sleeping here for quite awhile, someone is waiting for you, and they're getting impatient_."

"Kensei?"

Fuyukaze nodded and Sayomi sighed. "_He knows, little hime, that you're up to something. They all do_."

"I figured as much, I guess I should go then."

Sayomi opened her eyes and gave herself a moment to let them adjust to the darkness that had crept over her room. She could already see Kensei's muscled form outlined in the dark, leaning against the wall by her door. By his posture, Sayomi could tell a fight was inevitable. She waited to address him, letting her eyes fully adjust to the darkness and taking a few breaths to ready herself for the coming storm.

"Hello, Kensei, something on your mind?" Sayomi asked, her voice was quiet, bored.

"What are you planning, Sayomi? And don't say nothing. We all know you better than that, especially me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she answered monotonously.

"Bullshit! You're distancing yourself from everyone and you're acting the way you would whenever you were on a mission as a captain. The only reason you would do that is to push everyone away and focus on something. Not something we would usually question, but it was too sudden this time. There's no reason for it, so what are you planning?" Kensei asked harshly.

"Not a thing," she replied, her tone was still blank and devoid of emotion as she spoke,

"Dammit, stop acting like such a pompous bitch, Sayomi! You're lying and I know it. Now tell me what the hell is going on before I beat it out of you," Kensei snapped.

Sayomi chuckled coldly as she stood from her bed and faced him, her eyes meeting his. "What I'm planning is none of your concern, Kensei."

Her eyes followed Kensei's every move as he darted from his spot against the wall to appear directly in front of her. She didn't make a sound or attempt to move as his strong hand wrapped around her neck and her body was forced against the wall behind her. She was now pinned in the small space between her bed and the small dresser of her room, but she paid that no mind. Her light blue eyes seemed like ice as she stared into Kensei's blazing golden eyes.

"It is my concern, Sayomi," he hissed quietly.

"I am not your subordinate any longer, you have no reason-"

"Shut the hell up!" he snapped angrily, his tone would normally have made Sayomi flinch, but she showed no sign of having even heard him. "You know what I meant."

"Did I?" She questioned blandly.

A growl rumbled from his chest and the hand not holding her flexed in an attempt to control the anger that was coursing through his body.

"Yes, you did," though he was still angry there was a softness to his tone and in his eyes as he said the words.

This time Sayomi did flinch as if the words had burned her. Her eyes finally left Kensei's and she stared at the wall above her bed.

"Please let me go," she murmured quietly.

"No."

Sayomi sighed and lowered her head. "I'm sorry for how I've been acting. I've had a lot on my mind, but please don't make this harder than it has to be."

"Don't make what harder, Sayomi?" He asked, the anger seeping back into his tone at her now withdrawn attitude.

"I made it pretty obvious when we first came to this world what I wanted to do. We all knew this war was coming, but it was never the war I cared about."

Kensei started slightly and his hand loosened around her throat, he blinked in confusion before seeming to understand her words. His fingers released her throat and he slammed his hand into the wall behind her head, leaving a dent in the concrete wall. He left his hand in the wall as he leaned forward, his face inches from Sayomi's as she raised her eyes to meet his defiantly.

"Him," he snarled. "You plan on trying to get to _him_ on your own?"

She said nothing as she continued to stare into his eyes.

"Answer me!"

"Yes."

Kensei removed his fist from the wall, pieces of concrete falling to the floor. Both hands fisted at his sides and his body shook as he stared at Sayomi's impassive face. He could tell she was preparing herself for his reaction, she knew his temper and she expected him to react predictably. Something told him she wanted him to react violently, that somehow that would help her in whatever she was planning.

"How, Sayomi? You can't get near him, none of us can."

Sayomi said nothing as she kept their eyes locked.

"That's it, isn't it, Sayomi?" Kensei asked. "It's how you plan on getting to him."

Still she said nothing, only stood before him, face blank.

"What are you planning to do?" After several seconds of prolonged silence Kensei had enough, he pushed himself away from Sayomi with a growl. "Whatever it is... I hope it's worth it, Sayomi."

When he knew he wouldn't be getting an answer he turned away from her and headed for the door.

Sayomi closed her eyes and tilted her head back until it touched the cool concrete wall behind her. As she took in a deep breath she let her knees buckle under her and she slid slowly down to the floor.

'_You're really going to go through with it?_' Fuyukaze asked.

Sayomi took a deep breath and swallowed. "I am."

'_I thought so. Are you sure this is the best approach? You know the likely outcome of what you are doing, do you really want to go into this friendless and alone_?'

"I'll be friendless and alone whether I push them away now or not and you know that," she answered.

'_You have chosen your own path, little hime, but you can change it. Take comfort in your friends while you can_.'

"Wouldn't that be a bit selfish though? Using them for my own well being?"

'_You're a fairly selfish person, hime_.'

"Shut up, Fuyu, I'm not in the mood for your teasing. You know that after what I plan on doing, no one will trust me. No one. So what difference does it make whether we're friends now or not?"

'_Will you regret your actions?_'

"What do you mean?"

_'Will you regret the things you are doing now? Pushing away people who care about you and who would help you if-'_

"I'm not telling them."

'_You don't have to. They know you well enough, they'll likely figure it out on their own eventually_.'

Sayomi sighed. "You're probably right, but what is your point?"

_'Do you really want to die with regrets, hime?'_

She sighed again and closed her eyes. "I'll die with regrets one way or another, Fuyu."

_'Maybe so, little hime, but wouldn't it be better to die with a few less if you can?'_

Her eyes closed at his words and she could feel the sting of tears in her eyes. She swallowed and stood slowly from the floor. Her hands flexed by her sides and she took a breath before walking out of her room and following the dark hallway to the door that led to the main room of the warehouse.

Rose, Love and Kensei sat at the table to the right. Shinji was sprawled out on the sofa in the center of the room as usual, Hiyori sat in a chair beside the couch watching television. Hachi was against a wall to her left, he looked to be either asleep or meditating. Lisa was perched on the second floor, one leg dangling over the edge as she leaned against a pillar and read one of her many perverted magazines. Mashiro was on her stomach on the floor directly in front of the old television, her eyes wide as saucers as she watched a cat bounce around the screen in a commercial for cat food.

As she stepped from the darkness of the hall all eyes focused on her. She wasn't surprised by the suspicion and uncertainty in them, the anger was obvious in Kensei's eyes as he watched her move from the doorway towards him. He tensed as she neared him, his eyes narrowing at her. Before she could take a seat next to him she sucked in a deep breath as the air was knocked from her lungs, her head swung towards the door and her eyes widened.

"Sayomi," Kensei asked, his narrowed eyes growing concerned by her sudden reaction. She was the most sensitive of the group, she always had been. She was always able to sense things before the rest of them usually did.

There was a flash of light and Sayomi's small form seemed to fold in on itself as she ran towards the door. Her clothes piled on the floor and she slipped her head into her bracelet so quickly the movement was nothing more than a blur as she transformed into a cat and bolted from the warehouse before anyone was even able to move to stop her.

It wasn't until several minutes later that they finally felt what had caused Sayomi to run so swiftly. There were several powerful Arrancar in the city and they were spreading out.

* * *

><p>~AN~

Sorry for the delay in posting, I thought I had already posted this chapter...

Thank you for all of the reviews everyone!

Review monster needs feeding again.. I swear he's never full... :) Review please!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 12**

**Breaking Down**

'_What are you going to do_?' Fuyukaze asked as Sayomi ran.

'There are several of them and the Soul Reapers stationed here are already on the move to fight them. I'm not interested in those. The strongest in the group is headed towards Ichigo. In his current state he may not be able to defend himself well. The reiatsu are all different from the ones a few days before, I wonder what they want, they aren't here just for Ichigo. They wouldn't have split up if they were.'

'_There's a Soul Reaper near him, she's fighting_.'

'I know. It's the girl, Byakuya's...sister. Her opponent isn't very skilled. She'll be through soon.'

'_She's finished_,' Fuyukaze said a few seconds later.

'Told you,' Sayomi replied before growling angrily. 'Dammit. The strongest has just reached Ichigo and the girl's spirit energy just dived.'

She growled again before speeding up and racing through the empty streets of Karakura Town towards the flaring reiatsu of Ichigo and his opponent.

"Don't do anything stupid, Ichigo," Sayomi said aloud as she ran.

She arrived to a scene covered in dust and smoke. As the smoke cleared she saw that Ichigo was standing in the middle of the street. Standing suspended in the air a few yards from him was an Arrancar with light blue hair and eyes a few shades darker than her own. There were teal markings under his eyes that made him look feline and the remaining part of his hollow mask was a partial jaw with sharp razor like teeth that sat on the right side of his face.

Ichigo raised his zanpakuto before him and placed his left hand over his right arm as if to brace it.

"Ban-kai," he said.

Sayomi sighed. "Well, this might just get interesting. I might be able to use this to my advantage."

She watched, hidden in the shadows, occasionally moving her position in order to see the destructive fight that was taking place between Ichigo and the Arrancar now known as Espada number six, Grimmjow. He seemed quite proud of his placement as he introduced himself to Ichigo who was frowning up at him.

The Arrancar was strong, and in Ichigo's current condition he was much stronger than the orange haired substitute Shinigami. Ichigo was trying to be careful. Trying not to use too much strength and energy. He was scared.

Sayomi shook her head as she watched the Arrancar land a heavy blow to Ichigo's chest, sending him flying through the air. He landed with a loud crash in a nearby intersection, there was a depression around him from the force with which he had collided with the ground.

"Getsuga Tenshou," she heard Ichigo shout. Condensed black spiritual energy flew through the dust that had been stirred up and headed straight for the blue haired man standing in the sky.

There was a booming noise as the attack connected with its target and a flash of light that made it hard to see what had happened.

She knew the Arrancar had survived, but her eyes were focused on Ichigo as he held a hand over his left eye and bent forward slightly.

'_He's losing control_,' Fuyukaze observed.

'Yes, he is.'

She saw Ichigo raise his sword to strike again and saw the Arrancar prepare to finally draw his.

She darted off the rooftop she had been on and ran on the air to a spot between the two. "Enough," she ordered.

"S-Sayomi," Ichigo stuttered out.

"You're the one from Ulquiorra's vision. What the hell do you want?" The Espada growled.

"What I want is none of your concern, but you should know that right now Tousen is on his way here. I'm guessing you came without orders, and Aizen-sama isn't pleased. Especially since all of your friends are dead," Sayomi replied.

Grimmjow's blue eyes widened as he took full notice of the fact that what she said was true, the five others he had brought with him to the living world, were dead. He didn't sense Tousen though and his eyes narrowed as he stared at Sayomi who was watching him coolly, her tail flitting lazily behind her.

"Tousen ain't here, now get the hell out of the way and let me finish off the brat."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm only trying to help you, I assure you. If Aizen-sama wanted him dead, he would be," Sayomi said.

"Bitch, get out-"

"Grimmjow, put your blade back in its rightful place."

As he had been speaking and drawing his sword a man had appeared silently behind him. He was slim with long dark hair and tanned skin. He wore a pair of oddly shaped sunglasses over his eyes that Sayomi knew were blind. One of his hands was grasping the hilt of the sword that the blue haired man had attempted to draw moments before.

"Tousen," Grimmjow growled. "Why are you here?"

"Why? You don't get it? You came to the living world without permission and brought five others with you. They are all dead. You should understand that Aizen-sama is livid that you disobeyed orders," Tousen said calmly.

"I tried to warn you," Sayomi remarked blandly. "You wouldn't listen."

"Shut the he-"

"Quiet, Grimmjow, your punishment will be decided in Hueco Muendo," Tousen cut in.

"It's been a long time, Tousen," Sayomi said.

"It has, a very long time. Much has changed and Aizen-sama wishes to see you again," Tousen replied.

"Tell him I look forward to seeing him again as well," Sayomi answered.

Tousen nodded. "Come, Grimmjow, Aizen-sama is waiting for you."

"Hey, where the hell are you going? You come down here, start a fight and then just decide to leave," Ichigo yelled after Grimmjow who was following Tousen into a rip in the sky. "The winner hasn't been decided yet, get back here!"

"The winner hasn't been decided yet, you say," Grimmjow said as he turned to face Ichigo. "That move you just used hurts you, even I can see that. You could use it maybe two or three more times, but then you'd be done. Those things wouldn't even scratch me in my released state. So don't go tellin' me the winner ain't decided yet because the one who is escaping with barely his life... Is you."

"Bastard," Ichigo snapped.

"Remember my name because the next time you hear it... will be the last," Grimmjow taunted as he and Tousen disappeared.

Sayomi glanced over her shoulder at Ichigo who was looking at her oddly. He had heard the majority of the conversation between her and Tousen and he was curious as to the meaning of it.

"I'd love to stick around and yell at you for being reckless, but if I do I'll be the reckless one. We'll discuss this some other time. You know what you need to do, Ichigo," she said before disappearing.

"Hey wait!" he yelled.

"What the hell are you yelling about, Kurosaki?" A tall man with bright red hair that was tied into a ponytail asked as he approached the orange haired Ichigo.

"None of your damn business, Renji," he snapped.

"Did you win?"

Ichigo frowned and looked away. "I lost."

He bowed his head and thought over what Sayomi had said. She was right, he knew what he needed to do, but how did she know that? Did she know about the hollow in his soul, was she trying to protect him when she stepped in? Did she know he was losing control of his sanity?

* * *

><p>"She says she looks forward to your meeting," Tousen said to Aizen who was lounging in his large throne.<p>

"Is that so?" He mused. "In that case maybe we should invite her over for a visit. What do you think, Gin?"

"I think that would be interesting," the grinning man replied.

"Then I think we should make some preparations for her arrival," Aizen said with a smile.

* * *

><p>Sayomi took her time in walking back to the warehouse. She wasn't in the mood to face everyone now. Ichigo was losing control very quickly and if he didn't come to them soon he would face insanity, and worse. On top of that, she hadn't expected Tousen to show up to stop the fight, however his presence was certainly not unwelcome. Her plan had just moved forward several steps. Now all she had to do was wait. Wait and try to keep Ichigo whole.<p>

She walked back into the warehouse to find the main area empty at first glance, but upon closer inspection she saw Kensei asleep on the sofa. She thought of going to wake him to tell him what had happened. How Ichigo was so quickly losing control and how Tousen had showed up to stop the Espada from fighting any further.

For a long moment she stared at him. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, so relaxed. It had been a long time since she had seen him looking so vulnerable and it caused a pang of guilt to stab into her heart. She still loved him, she truly did, but things between them had changed and they would never again be as close as they were. They were still friends, yes, but the level of trust the once shared had diminished over the years since she had walked out on him and everyone else.

Knowing that she was only going to be further betraying and hurting him she decided not to wake him and quietly made her way to her room.

* * *

><p>Sayomi sat on the edge of the second story's broken floor, her legs dangling over the edge as she yawned with boredom before casting a glance to her right. Kensei sat not far from her with one leg pulled up and the other stretched out on the ground as he leaned into one of the crumbling pillars. The rest of the Vizard were spread around the building, waiting.<p>

"He's here," Sayomi said blankly as she picked a piece of lint off of her light colored jeans.

No one seemed to hear her or if they did, they didn't care. Seconds later a shadow appeared in the large doorway and Ichigo walked in to the warehouse. He was dressed casually in jeans and a light t-shirt with a light weight black jacket over it. All eyes were now on him as his amber eyes flicked from person to person before landing on Sayomi and staring at her in surprise.

"Finally found us, huh?" Shinji said as he stared down at the orange haired teen. He was on the floor below Sayomi who was tempted to kick off her silver shoe and let it hit the blonde in the head.

"Hey, Ichigo," Sayomi greeted happily as she leaned forward and smiled down at him.

"Sayomi? What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, you see, when I said I wasn't a Soul Reaper, I meant it. I'm not. Anymore."

"Anymore?" he inquired.

"He doesn't need to know," Kensei said bluntly.

"Right," Sayomi continued, ignoring Kensei's grunt of disapproval and a glare from Hiyori. "You see, it wasn't our choice to become Vizards. It was forced upon us. I'll give you a single guess as to the traitor who did it."

"Aizen," Ichigo said in surprise.

Sayomi nodded. "Yes, Aizen. He wasn't the only one. There were two others as well, the same who left Soul Society with him and the Hogyoku."

"You know about-"

"Of course we do," Sayomi cut in. "We were all high ranking officials in the Gotei Thirteen, Ichigo, we have our ways."

"Enough of your blabberin'," Shinji drawled. "You came here to join us, right?"

Ichigo smirked as he looked at Shinji. "Hell no!"

"Ehhh," Shinji screeched as he lifted the golf cap on his head slightly.

Sayomi smirked at Ichigo who grinned back before continuing.

"I'm not going to be one of your flunkies. Please. The only reason I'm here... is to use you, not join you."

"What waz'at?" Shinji asked as he narrowed his eyes at Ichigo.

"I won't join up with you, but I'm sure you can teach me how to quiet the hollow inside me down," Ichigo explained.

"And just who do you think's gonna teach ya? Sayomi? I'll tell ya now, she can't do it on her own and she knows it," Shinji said.

"Then I'll just have to force it out of you," Ichigo said as he stared calmly up at Shinji.

"And how do ya plan on doin' that?"

Ichigo smirked defiantly.

Kensei stood up and took a step towards the edge of the broken concrete floor. Sayomi held out a hand and Kensei stopped his advance and turned his now angrily narrowed eyes to the top of Sayomi's head.

"Enough," she said authoritatively. "Ichigo?"

Ichigo's eyes flickered up to hers.

"I think they'd like a little demonstration," she said as she gracefully slid from her spot on the floor above him, she landed beside him with a smile. "Don't hold back," she ordered seriously as she snatched Ichigo's substitute badge with her left hand and held her right hand out to her side. "Breathe, Fuyukaze."

Ichigo took a step back in his surprise as the bracelet on her wrist shattered into millions of silver and blue snowflakes. They swirled around her wrist and gathered in her outstretched palm. It had only been a few seconds as Ichigo watched in awe as Sayomi's sheathed zanpakuto formed in her hand, what happened after that surprised him even more. She slammed the badge into his chest and dropped it to the ground, before it could land, her zanpakuto was unsheathed and arcing towards his throat.

He grunted, but pulled his own much larger weapon from his back, blocking Sayomi's swing with the flat of it.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo asked as he shoved Sayomi away.

Sayomi's face was blank as she looked back at him. "Trying to kill you," she answered seriously as she flashed from her spot a few feet in front of him to his right side. "You're holding back," she stated as he barely managed to block her pure silver blade from connecting with is chest.

"I don't want to fight you."

"Then you will die."

Ichigo scowled at her but the angered look vanished the second Sayomi vanished from his side.

"Dammit," he cursed as he was forced to block another of her attacks. Gripping his zanpakuto with both hands, Ichigo charged towards Sayomi.

"You're holding back," she repeated as she sliced Ichigo's cheek open with the tip of her sword.

Ichigo was panting as he eyed Sayomi who was standing in front of him, her eyes showing no hint of emotion.

"I didn't come here to fight you," Ichigo replied as he wiped some of the blood from his face.

"No," she asked with a raised brow.

"I want to fight Shinji."

Sayomi turned towards Shinji who was standing with the eight others on the ground below them. She shrugged and sheathed her zanpakuto. "Have at it at then."

"What?" Ichigo asked as he blinked in confusion at Sayomi's sudden change in attitude.

"Go, fight the dumb blond," she said as she waved her hand at him like she was shooing a dog.

"Uhhh..Ok," Ichigo replied before flying towards Shinji who only smirked as he kicked his zanpakuto up from the floor beneath him and leapt in the air to meet his attack.

'Maybe now he'll actually put up a fight,' Sayomi thought as she watched the swords of the two men connect.

The fight that followed made Sayomi roll her eyes and make her way towards the others. Ichigo and Shinji were merely taking turns attacking and defending.

"That Ichigo must think highly of himself if he would choose to fight Shinji," Rose said as she approached the group who was watching the fighting from the ground level of the warehouse.

"Fool. Shinji's not even taking this seriously," Lisa replied.

"If you look again even Ichigo isn't fighting to his full abilities either," Hachi said.

"He's scared. Whatever way you look at it," Love sighed.

"Of what?" Mashiro asked.

"The hollow," Kensei answered as he watched the fight angrily, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "To think Shinji wanted to recruit him, at this level-"

"At this level what, Kensei?" Sayomi asked as she turned her cold eyes to him. "He's holding back. Just like Shinji, he's not taking this fight seriously. I thought by letting him fight Shinji he would actually fight, not be a scared little boy like he is. He's stronger than you think, do not underestimate him."

"Where ya goin', Hiyorin?" Mashiro chirped as Hiyori turned away from the group and began to walk away.

"Hey, Hachi, buff the shield up five levels," Hiyori said, ignoring Mashiro's questioning.

"Yes, ma'am," Hachi replied.

"Hey, Shinji," she then yelled. "Outta my way! It's my turn!"

With that she slapped Shinji with a sandal and sent him spinning through the air and out the warehouse window.

"I thought I said to up the shield," she said as she turned to Hachi.

"I didn't have the time," Hachi replied.

"Ah well. Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah...You're going about this all wrong, Ichigo. We were considering letting you join our ranks, but that doesn't mean that it's ever been up to you. It's our decision. I don't give a shit if you want to join us or not. We saw you had power and wanted to see for ourselves if you were good enough. If you have the power to become one of us then we'll teach to you control the hollow. If not then take a hike and go die a dog's death as a hollow." After her speech, Hiyori turned away from Ichigo who was staring after her in a mix of shock and confusion.

"If ya get it then turn into a hollow and lets see what ya got," Hiyori said.

"No," Ichigo answered.

"You still don't get it? The decision ain't yours," she replied as she turned towards him as her white rhino like hollow mask began to appear around her face.

Sayomi watched, her face blank and impassive as Hiyori continued to taunt Ichigo. She would have intervened but she knew that Ichigo needed to be pushed to the brink in order to finally see that this wasn't just some walk in the park. They needed to see just what they were up against, and Hiyori might actually get enough of a rise out of him for them to figure it out.

"Oi, Hiyori!"

"Hey hold on, Hiyori!"

"Hiyorin!"

Love, Rose and Mashiro all shouted over each other as Hiyori's mask fully formed, partially hiding her face. Only Hachi, Lisa, Kensei and herself seemed to be unaffected by Hiyori's display. They stared up at the two and watched in silence as the blond girl continued to taunt Ichigo.

"You don't get to be one of us just by having a mask. The least you can do is transform for us. Are ya still scared?" she asked.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as his grip tightened around his zanpakuto, but he didn't speak.

Sayomi looked over at Kensei to see that he seemed to be paying more attention now. He looked over at her from the corner of his eyes briefly before turning back to the two above them.

"I ain't as nice as Shinji. You can transform, or...I'll kill you," she said as she pulled her mask over her face.

There was a dramatic shift in her spirit pressure as she did, it surprised Ichigo whose eyes widened as he stared at Hiyori in disbelief.

Sayomi watched with a frown, in his surprise, Ichigo's guard had dropped and Hiyori had taken the opportunity to attack him. She slammed her palm into his stomach sending him flying into the concrete wall several yards behind him. He recovered immediately and was able to dodge the next fist she threw at him, but he couldn't evade the kick she sent at him right after. This time he collided with the floor just in front of Shinji, who was dusting himself off and muttering under his breath as he reentered the warehouse. He squealed in surprise and reeled backwards, falling unceremoniously on his butt in the process.

No one paid the blond any mind however, as Hiyori flew at Ichigo again. Their fight was rough, Ichigo was getting tossed around like a useless sack and Hiyori had yet to even draw her zanpakuto.

Everyone had strayed from the line they had been in on the first floor as the fight progressed. Lisa was now on the third floor leaning against a pillar, with her usual naughty magazine in hand. Shinji, Rose and Love were on the second floor watching the fight. Hachi was sitting on the floor on the first level trying his best to keep the barriers steady. Mashiro wasn't too far in front of him also watching the fight. Her and Kensei where on the first floor still, Sayomi leaning against Kensei as she craned her neck to watch the fight above her.

"You ok, Hacchan," Mashiro asked as the older, large man made a small noise when Ichigo was sent harshly into yet another wall.

"Definitely not ok," he replied as sweat rolled down his forehead.

Sayomi glanced over at the man and sighed, she straightened up and walked over to him. She sat beside him, setting her zanpakuto beside her, and began chanting under her breath before slamming her hands onto the ground. She heard Hachi sigh in relief as she added two of her own barriers so that Hachi wouldn't have to expend so much energy. Just as she finished strengthening her own barriers she realized that Hiyori was in the process of unsheathing her sword.

She scowled, but kept the barriers she had worked on steady. She watched carefully as Hiyori renewed her assault on Ichigo. Ichigo was a bloody mess, his kimono was torn to pieces and there were cuts and bruises on almost every inch of him. He was out of breath and barely able to block and dodge Hiyori's attacks. By watching him, she could tell he was trying to figure out how it was that Hiyori was able to stay in her hollow form without going insane.

Sayomi growled as Hiyori landed a rather brutal hit to Ichigo's left side, blood spurted from his wounded shoulder and he cried out in pain. She looked over to Kensei who upon sensing her, turned to look at her, when he saw the look she wore he nodded and returned his attention to the fight, his body tensing.

"Sorry, Hachi," Sayomi said as she released the barriers she had put up. At least the man was no longer sweating or as distressed as he had been. Picking up Fuyukaze and standing, she made her way to stand next to Kensei, her right hand firmly grasping the hilt of her sword as her left held the intricate sheath.

She was the first to move into action when Ichigo's spirit energy suddenly shifted and the white of a hollow mask began to coalesce over the left side of his face. Everyone else was too stunned by the sheer strength being emitted by the orange haired boy as he flew at Hiyori that they didn't move. Ichigo's hand clasped around Hiyori's throat as a harsh, crazy laugh escaped his throat. He slammed her into a wall and it was then that Kensei seemed to realize Sayomi had already moved. He flew after her and the others quickly followed suit.

Sayomi drew her zanpakuto letting the sheath fall to the ground as she flashed towards Ichigo. She had her zanpakuto at his throat a second after he pinned Hiyori to the wall. Yanking him away from the girl whose eyes were beginning to roll into the back of her head, Sayomi threw him towards the floor. She landed beside him just as everyone else surrounded them. Eight zanpakuto were aimed to kill if he so much as twitched.

Sayomi was knelt beside Kensei, who had also pinned Ichigo's hand to the ground with one of his booted feet. Fuyukaze was held in her right hand, angled across her body, her left hand between her chest and the silver blade, the tip of which was stuck in the white mask on Ichigo's face. Without hesitation she pulled her sword from the mask. As she did, the the mask shattered and crumbled to the ground. Her, Kensei and Shinji stayed in their positions, but the others withdrew their swords and stepped back. Sayomi turned and nodded to Kensei who withdrew his blade as well, and took his weight off of Ichigo's hand. He straightened himself up and stepped back as well.

She remained crouched beside Ichigo as Shinji stood up and began to walk away from them.

"You should get it now, Ichigo. That hollow in ya, isn't gonna be pushed down by your mind or body." Shinji said.

"Unfortunately, it's not that easy," Sayomi said as she pulled her zanpakuto away from Ichigo's face and stood up.

"What do you think, Hiyori?" Shinji said as he turned to her, she was panting and looking at Ichigo in shock.

She didn't say anything as she wiped at her face with the red sleeve of her jogging sweater.

"We'll teach ya how to suppress the hollow," Shinji said before turning and walking from the group.

Ichigo blinked after Shinji before turning his eyes up to Sayomi's.

"I'm glad you came. You were beginning to grow too unstable, I would have had to kill you soon," she said to him.

He didn't reply to her statement only continued to stare at her.

"Come on, you're a mess. We need to get you patched up."

* * *

><p>"Tell me again why this is necessary. I already told you he would be able to do this for days," Sayomi said as she tilted her head back to look at Kensei.<p>

He was sitting on one of the chairs wrapping his hands in white athletic tape. She was sitting on the couch, a book in her lap.

"Shut up," he grunted.

She stuck her tongue out at him childishly and turned to watching Ichigo huff and puff on the walker that Hiyori had stuck him on. Three days ago. She was actually surprised that Ichigo hadn't flipped out and demanded that they hurry up and show him how to keep the Hollow inside him at bay.

"This is boring," Hiyori complained.

"This was your idea," Kensei grunted.

Hiyori shrugged. "Doesn't mean it's fun to watch the stupid Soul Reaper."

"Then don't watch him," Shinji grumbled.

"Besides, I thought Lisa was supposed to be watching him," Kensei added, glancing over at the black haired girl who was absorbed in a swimsuit magazine.

"Shut up," Lisa retorted distractedly. "I am watching him."

"Your nose is buried in your magazine," Kensei pointed out roughly. "You haven't even looked at the Soul Reaper brat."

"His name is Ichigo," Sayomi interjected in annoyance.

"I don't give a shit what his name is. Lisa should be watching him and coaching him," Kensei snapped.

Lisa sighed, but didn't take her attention from her magazine. "Fine. I'll coach the idiot. One, two. One, two. One, two."

Rolling her eyes, Sayomi was standing up to go to her room where it was quiet when Ichigo finally had had enough. Having expected him to snap, she didn't stick around to see the outcome, she just sighed and set her book on the couch. Listening to Ichigo rant and rave with the others she made her way to the trap door that would lead to the underground training room.

Moments later Love walked through the door as well, Ichigo slung over his shoulder limply. Everyone followed after him as they made their way down the long flight of stairs. Once at the bottom, Love sat Ichigo down on the dirt and they all circled him.

"Hachi, throw up another barrier here too," Shinji said.

"Ehhh..."

"Don't 'ehhhh' me, it's not cute for an old guy to say eh," Shinji replied. "Also, I want you to seal all of his limbs."

"I'll take care of that part. Just take care of the barrier," Sayomi said as she lowered herself onto her knees a few yards in front of Ichigo.

"Yes, ma'am," Hachi replied.

Sayomi clasped her hands before her and began to chant. "Walls of iron sand, a priestly pagoda, glowing iron clad fireflies. Standing upright, silent to the end." As she chanted, little balls of light slipped from between her entwined fingers, they collected above her hands and formed five balls of bright light, "Bakudo seventy five; Gochuu Tekkan!" And with that she slammed her clasped hands into the dirt. Five large iron pillars formed above Ichigo before slamming down onto his body. One on each arm and leg and the last one at his neck.

She stood up again and walked over to Shinji just as Ichigo's body began to shake and tremble. The iron pillars holding him down began to shake as well. She actually had to shield her eyes a moment later when his spiritual pressure increased so dramatically a wind was stirred up around his body. Using his arms Ichigo began to lift his upper body as his white and red bird like mask formed over his face.

"How are we going to do this?" Sayomi asked Shinji.

"Open up the wall over here, Hachi. It was my day on watch so I'll start," Lisa called answering her question.

"Just don't kill him," Shinji replied.

"That's assuming he doesn't kill me first," Lisa stated as she walked through the opening in the barrier around Ichigo. The pillars had all broken now and Ichigo stood up, grabbing the zanpakuto beside him and flying at her.

Sayomi walked over to Kensei who was sitting in the dirt a few yards away. The rest of the group was scattered around either sitting in the dirt or on one of the many boulders in the large room.

"Ten minutes?" Sayomi asked.

"Yeah," Kensei answered, not bothering to look up at her. "I'll go after Lisa."

"I'll go last," Sayomi said.

Kensei finally looked over at her, wondering just what she was up to now, but said nothing. She was looking straight ahead of her, her attention focused on Ichigo as he fought Lisa.

There was a flare in Ichigo's reiatsu as the orange haired boy came to a sudden halt. Lisa watched him cautiously, her zanpakuto held out before her.

"Has it finally begun?" Shinji asked.

'Don't lose, Ichigo. I don't want to have to kill you,' Sayomi thought. 'Don't lose.'

No one responded, but Kensei looked over to Sayomi again. Her eyes had narrowed slightly and if he hadn't known better he would have thought she was bored by the look on her face. He did know her better though, and the look on her face, though blank, showed her concern for the orange haired boy.

'What do you think, Fuyukaze?' Sayomi thought. 'At the moment he's still not at full power, he will be when we go in though. If we go last I don't intended to let anyone else fight him again. Obviously why I said I would go last. I meant it.'

'_He's getting stronger rapidly, but we should be fine. If need be though you may have to change yourself_,' Fuyukaze replied.

'I will, but only as a last resort. I don't want to kill him.'

'_You may have to though, if he can't_-'

'He will.'

'_Of course he will_.'

"Two...One... Ten minutes. Hey, Hachi, open it up," Kensei shouted as he stood up from the ground.

"Kensei," Sayomi called as he walked forward, he turned back to look at her but her eyes were still focused on Ichigo. "Don't kill him."

Kensei scoffed, but otherwise ignored her. He flew through the opening in the barrier just as Ichigo was about to attack Lisa head on. Kensei flashed in front of the wounded girl and his elbow collided with Ichigo's stomach. The force sent Ichigo back a few feet in the dirt.

"Time's up," Kensei said to the out of breath Lisa. "Switch places."

"Hey, Shinji, how are we dividing the breaks," Lisa asked as she exited the barrier.

Shinji opened his mouth to speak, but Sayomi cut him off.

"Including myself, there are eight of us. Eight, ten minute intervals. We can't count Hachi since he's concentrating on the barrier. That also means that it's likely one or two of us might not get a turn."

Sayomi went back to watching the fight, scowling when Kensei introduced himself and told Ichigo he was going to kill him. She watched as Kensei slashed through Ichigo's left shoulder, blood spurted from the wound for a few seconds before a white substance ballooned from it, healing it. Her brows drew together at this new information. Super accelerated regeneration wasn't unusual for a hollow, but he wasn't even fully transformed yet.

"I say not to kill him, so what does he do?" Sayomi grumbled to herself as Kensei sent a blast of energy at Ichigo. "Blows his limbs off instead." Not that she was surprised, Kensei's fighting style was rather straight forward and brutal. He liked blowing stuff up and ending his fights quickly.

"Hey, hey," Love started to say worriedly as Kensei attacked yet again.

Sayomi was off the ground an instant later her lips drawn in a thin line and her eyes narrowed slightly. The arm that Kensei had just blown off had begun to regenerate, but instead of an arm, a large mouth formed out of the white substance and attacked Kensei.

"What the hell," Kensei cursed as the thing came at him. He raised his combat knife like zanpakuto and blocked the mouth from being able to bite his head off. Grunting, Kensei sent another energy bast through the mouth, splattering it over the area.

Ichigo's face was now completely masked and his left side and arm where also now covered in the white armor like skin of a hollow.

"Well, that was a pretty quick transformation," Kensei said with a smirk.

'Don't get cocky now, you fool,' Sayomi thought, 'He'll kill you. I told you not to underestimate him, do you see why now?'

"When my turn comes around again, I'll be sure to end this," Lisa spoke up.

Sayomi's light blue eyes trailed over to the bruised and scratched girl. "You won't be taking another turn," she said.

Lisa looked over at her in surprise, but Sayomi's eyes were already back on the fight.

"I'll take care of this myself, if it comes to that. No one else but me will be killing him," Sayomi said, although everyone knew it was an order. Her face had hardened and her eyes were now distant as she contemplated her options.

She thought of all the others and how long the transformations had taken for the rest of them. The longest had been her. Barely, Hiyori had been only a few seconds behind. It had taken almost seventy minutes for her to beat the hollow inside of her. By that time she was almost a full hollow and she was very close to being killed by Kensei, who had insisted on fighting her out of turn.

She hadn't known it then, but he was in love with her. He had apparently loved her for years, he had just never said anything. After all, she was engaged to a nobleman who was a captain and the head of his clan. All he felt he had to offer was himself, which since she was already spoken for he didn't feel would mean anything.

When she had found out that he had loved her she had been surprised. They had worked together for years before she had been promoted to his lieutenant and then to captain of the Tenth squad after her father's death. In that time though he had never once said anything to make her believe they were anything but friends. Their friendship was a bit twisted. They fought constantly and both felt they were always right. They would spar a lot which was good for both of them, it helped Sayomi learn to control her short temper and become a better and more skilled fighter. Kensei on the other hand just liked the time he got to spend with her, she challenged him and would actually stand up to him. If he wasn't in the mood though, she would back down immediately, she may like to fight, but she wasn't an idiot. Fighting him when he was seriously pissed off was not a good idea.

They had worked well together despite their many quarrels, they were serious when they needed to be and could easily join together to accomplish any task they were given. She knew that it would have been hard for him to see her killed by anyone else's hand, so he wanted to be the one to deal the finishing blow, if it came to that.

Luckily for her, it didn't. Barely, a few more seconds and she would have been blown to pieces by Kensei's zanpakuto, Tachikaze. She didn't remember much of that day, she didn't care to. It had started out like the majority of those days did for her. Her waking up alone and with no one to go to, no fiance, no family and no home. She had been betrayed by her own family, her own flesh and blood that she hadn't seen in years and she would never forget that night. The night changed her life. In some ways it was better, she had had Kensei and she had been happy for a little while. Now though she knew it was all coming to an end, she no longer cared about living. She cared about her revenge. She didn't care about the other two traitors, she only wanted to get her hands on the one. The one she called her brother.

And she would do anything to get to him. She had formed her resolve and she was going to kill the man that had smiled at her as she lay in a pool of her own blood after having attacked her brother as the newly awakened hollow in her tried to overtake her. He had cut her down himself and would have killed her had Kisuke not come along with Tessai.

Remaining upright, Sayomi watched as Kensei was replaced by Mashiro, Hiyori, Rose, and then Shinji. After Shinji, Love was going to take his turn. By then sixty minutes would have passed, if by seventy minutes Ichigo hadn't won his fight he would need to be eliminated, it was almost certain that by then he would be a full hollow. As it was now at almost sixty minutes he was almost entirely transformed.

Love stood up after a nod from Kensei, Sayomi gritted her teeth but said nothing as the tall man entered the barrier and Shinji exited. With a quick glance back at Kensei who wasn't really paying her any attention, Sayomi walked closer to where Hachi sat on the ground as he kept watch over the barrier.

"When I tell you to, open a door for me. Do not let anyone else in after that, understood?" Sayomi asked.

Hachi started slightly at her command and tried to stutter out a refusal, but after looking up to see her face he nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Good," she replied.

Kensei looked over to Sayomi who was talking quietly to Hachi, he saw the surprise and fear on Hachi's face as she said something to him that he apparently didn't like. The large man then tried to stutter something out but a single look from Sayomi was enough to get him to nod in approval. He stood from his spot on a ledge in a boulder and made his way towards Sayomi.

Sayomi saw Kensei walking towards her and growled. "Open it," she hissed.

Hachi did as he was told and a door opened in the barrier a few feet in front of them.

Kensei started shouting at her as she flashed to the door, Hiyori stood up and shouted as well. As a matter of fact, the only one not shouting, besides Hachi of course, was Shinji. He sat on the top of a nearby rock watching calmly as Sayomi flew towards Love, her hand going to the hilt of her zanpakuto that was now hung over her back on a silver chain, the hilt over her right shoulder. She drew the sword in a fluid move as she appeared before a surprised Love. The sunglass wearing man started to protest as Sayomi knelt to block a blow from Ichigo's sword.

"Sorry, Love," she said as she kicked Ichigo away and turned to shove the stunned man out the open door. "Close it!" She shouted.

The second Love stepped out of the barrier the door shut and a very pissed off Kensei was glaring at her from just beyond where it had been. He turned back to Hachi and ordered him to open the door back up.

"Leave it," Shinji called calmly. "She's just going in a little early. Besides she ordered him not open it again."

"I don't give a shit," Kensei shouted. "She's coming out of there when her turn's over."

"I'm sorry," Hachi said. "But I won't be opening the door."

Kensei opened his mouth to argue, but was interrupted when Sayomi suddenly spoke. Her voice was low and cold.

"If anyone steps in this barrier before I say so, believe me when I say that I will kill them myself. I will take care of this from here," Sayomi stated authoritatively.

"Are you going to let her do this, Shinji?" Hiyori shouted.

"We don't have a choice. Even if she didn't kill us for stepping in that barrier, he would," he answered as he nodded in Ichigo's direction.

* * *

><p>~AN~

I swear there will be new content in the rewrite, soon. Promise.

Feed the review monster if you please. :)


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer – I own nothing of Bleach

**Chapter 14**

**Friends and Foes**

Kensei clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes angrily as he watched Sayomi dance around Ichigo.

Sayomi fought Ichigo for several minutes, keeping track of time in her head as best she could. If she was right it was almost sixty eight minutes since Ichigo had begun the transformation. She had been in the barrier for almost four minutes. She had a few scratches on her arms and a pretty good gash in her neck. Blood was staining her white shirt and running down her arm as she faced Ichigo, who as far as she could tell, was now completely transformed.

'Dammit,' she thought as she gripped Fuyukaze with both hands.

She grunted as one of Ichigo's hands, that were now more like taloned claws, came at her chest. Stepping to her right and spinning she was able to avoid the claw, but not the taloned foot that came at her next. She bit back a cry of pain as three large rips spread across her right side.

"Sayomi," she heard Kensei yell.

Falling to her knees, she grasped her side with her left hand. Blood poured over her fingers, staining her clothes and the dirt beneath her.

Putting the tip of Fuyukaze in the dirt in front of her, she hefted herself up. Taking a deep breath she steeled herself for the next attack, her face went blank and her eyes became emotionless as she watched Ichigo. She could hear Kensei arguing with Shinji to make Hachi open a door, but Shinji wouldn't listen. He sat completely still and watched.

Sayomi's eyes widened as Ichigo held out a hand before him, she could feel the spirit energy he was collecting and she immediately raised a hand to her face. As she pulled down on the air, a white mask began to form over her face. The whites of her eyes darkened and her pupils narrowed into slits. As the mask came together it was revealed to be very feline like in appearance with black stripes on the cheeks that looked like whiskers. It had thin, sharp needle like teeth across the mouth and narrowed eyes. There were also three black dots spaced over the forehead and two cat like ears that stuck up from the mask as it curved over her forehead. The mask didn't cover her entire head, just her face and the crown of her head where the little ears were.

She put her left hand in front of her just as Ichigo fired off the cero he had been preparing.

There was shouting and yelling from outside the barrier trying to force Hachi to get Sayomi out. They were all drowned out though as a static like sound crackled loudly before there was a loud explosion. Dust and debris clouded the air in the barrier making it impossible to see what the outcome of the blast had been. The entire room fell silent, listening for any sound of life from the other side of the barrier.

Sayomi stood stock still in the midst of the dust and smoke listening and waiting. Her zanpakuto was held out before her as she lowered herself into a defensive crouch. Her eyes scanned the area as the smoke and dust began to clear, but still nothing happened.

She gasped in surprise when a white hand wrapped around her throat and lifted her from her crouch.

'Shit, shit, shit,' she thought frantically as her air supply was suddenly cut off. 'How did I not sense him? I'm the most sensitive here and I couldn't even feel a thing. It's good no one else was in here, I think they'd be dead by now.'

In her current position, cutting through his arm would be difficult so instead she settled for twirling her sword in her right hand to gain some momentum, as the hilt slid over the back of her hand and back into her palm she struck out at Ichigo. She sliced through the tough armor on his side, causing him to screech loudly and drop her.

She landed in a semi-crouch, her head tilted up to watch as Ichigo's side regenerated instantaneously.

'Dammit, he's a lot stronger then I thought he'd be,' she thought to herself as she side stepped and flashed away from a head on attack.

She spun and aimed her zanpakuto for Ichigo's throat, but it was easily blocked when he grabbed the blade with his hand and wrenched it away from her. He tossed it aside carelessly and tried to grab her. She disappeared from her spot in an attempt to reclaim her discarded zanpakuto. Ichigo was right behind her and she knew it. Growling, she turned abruptly and swung a fist at his head. It was grabbed and twisted painfully. She didn't scream or show any hint of pain as the muscles and tendons tore apart. Tearing her hand away from him and letting it hang limply at her right side, she spun again and flashed towards her zanpakuto.

"Get her out of there," Kensei shouted.

"Shinji, you gotta get her out. Now," Love yelled frantically.

The dust and smoke finally cleared and Sayomi was now visible to everyone. She wasn't much worse than she had been moments before the blast, but it was obvious she was being overpowered.

She picked up her zanpakuto and swung around in time to block the talons coming at her. She wasn't as skilled with her left hand, but she managed to slice through Ichigo's arm and quickly land another blow to his side. She jumped backwards as Ichigo tried to retaliate and shoved his talons toward her throat.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo," she said as he flew at her while howling loudly. Holding her sword steady and not moving as he charged at her Sayomi prepared to strike out at his mask, she would have landed the hit too, if he hadn't disappeared at the last second. Her eyes widened and she was jolted forward suddenly.

Looking down, she saw that one of Ichigo's taloned hands was protruding grotesquely from her stomach. She coughed up a stream of crimson as he withdrew his hand. She struggled for breath as everyone outside screamed and yelled at Hachi to let them in.

"No," she shouted. "This is my fight. He is my friend, I will deal with this!"

No one heeded her shouts and continued to badger Hachi to open a door into the barrier.

"I've had enough of this," Sayomi said as she pushed herself up from the ground.

The Hollow Ichigo cackled wildly as he prepared to fire another cero at Sayomi, the shouting behind her intensified, but she held her ground. Holding Fuyukaze in front of her, its blade parallel to the ground she pointed a finger towards Ichigo and gathered a stifling amount of energy into her own cero. Just as she prepared to fire the cero, Ichigo's armored body began to tremble.

Sayomi's eyes narrowed and she dropped her hand.

"Get her out," Lisa yelled.

"Sayomi," Kensei shouted as she turned towards them and crouched, tucking her head into her chest and hiding her face behind her arms, not a second later an explosion tore through the barrier.

"What the hell happened?"

"Where is he?"

"Sayomi!"

"Hachi," Shinji said calmly.

"Yes sir," he replied as he released the barrier.

Everyone was in an uproar as they ran towards where the fight had been taking place. Swords were drawn and not a single person was going to be holding back.

"Stay back," they heard Sayomi shout.

Surprised by the sudden order everyone halted in their steps. There was a sudden gust of ice cold wind and all the dust began to clear.

Standing before them was Sayomi, her back to them and blood staining her white hair from the large rip in her back where Ichigo had stabbed her. The mask that had been covering her face was gone and her pale skin was dirty and smeared with blood. Dirt clung to the crimson liquid pouring from her many cuts. Her breathing quickened and her shoulders were rising and falling rapidly. Her right hand hung uselessly at her side and her left grasped the hilt of her sword that looked as if it where about to fall from her grasp. In front of her, facing them, was Ichigo. There was a cracking noise as the white armor that had covered him fell and shattered loudly, most of the pieces disintegrating before they could hit the floor.

"Ichigo?" Sayomi asked.

"S-Sayomi?" he questioned back, blinking at her as his eyes cleared and returned to their normal amber color.

Sighing, Sayomi dropped her zanpakuto as Ichigo fell face first into the dirt. She followed suit, dropping to her knees, her head falling into her chest.

"So how do you feel?" she asked through her raspy breaths.

"Great," he replied, his voice was strained and tired.

She chuckled. "Good."

"Are you-"

"I'm fine," she cut in. "I'm stronger than I look."

Ichigo's eyes showed the guilt he felt at knowing he had been the one to hurt her, unintentionally, but that didn't matter to him. He was the one who had hurt her, it was his body, his hands, his sword. They might not have been the best of friends, but he still didn't wish to harm her.

Kensei glared at Ichigo as he walked over to Sayomi and knelt by her side. He carefully leaned her against him and lifted her into his arms as she passed out. "Stupid, stubborn woman," he grumbled under his breath as he made his way to Hachi.

"Will she be-"

"She'll be fine," Shinji said, answering Ichigo's question before he could fully ask it.

"Good," he sighed before drifting into unconsciousness himself.

* * *

><p>Sayomi groggily blinked her eyes open and and winced when she tried to move her right hand to rub at her eyes. She moved a little, to see just how badly torn up she was. It wasn't as bad as she had expected. Her right arm was bandaged and splinted, her stomach was wrapped in thick bandages as well. Her whole midsection hurt, she wasn't that surprised since she had been clawed and then stabbed by Ichigo. Other than that there were a few minor cuts and some bruises.<p>

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"Not now, Kensei," Sayomi said as she raised her left hand to rub at the bridge of her nose.

"You almost got yourself killed. I think I deserve to at least now what you were thinking," he snapped.

"I was thinking that if he was going to die it should at least be by the hand of someone he knows and not a stranger. Satisfied? Now leave me the hell alone, I'm not in the mood for this," she said as she turned her head away from Kensei, who was glaring at her from his seat against the wall by her door. "Glare at me all you want, I'm going back to sleep." Laying back down, she turned away from Kensei and closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>Sayomi leaned against a rock, her legs stretched out before her and her hands resting in her lap. She was watching Hiyori fight Ichigo in an attempt to get the fiery teen to be able to keep his hollow form for longer than the four seconds he currently could. It had been two weeks since he had come to them and had beaten the hollow in his soul, but he had yet to learn how to harness that power for a long enough period of time for it to be effective.<p>

Glancing to her right, she sighed when Kensei looked over at her when he felt her icy blue eyes on him but promptly turned away, an angry scowl on his face.'I see he's still angry. I should have just kept them at a distance. It would have been easier that way, having him so suspicious is making it difficult to do anything or go anywhere without his guard automatically going up. I should never have mentioned my brother, I should have just kept my mouth shut and said I wasn't up to anything when he confronted me a couple weeks ago.'

She took a small breath and her eyes cornered to the stairs leading upwards. Not wanting anyone to notice what she had, she remained sitting for a little while and watched the fight with disinterest. After a few minutes of that and noticing that the reiatsu she had felt was going unnoticed, but was still there, she stood up and headed to the stairs.

"I'm going for a walk. I can't keep watching him get his ass kicked," she said blandly as she waved a hand towards Ichigo as he blocked a blow from Hiyori.

"Hey, I'm not getting my-"

"You were saying?" Sayomi stated blandly, waving a hand daintily in the air as Ichigo was struck in the jaw and sent flying into the already dented boulder behind him.

"Pay attention, dumb ass," Hiyori shouted at him.

"I'll go with you," Kensei spoke up suddenly just as she started up the steps.

She twitched slightly, but turned back to him and nodded silently.

He stood up from his spot on the dirt and walked over to her. She turned just as he was at her side and walked away without a word as he fell into step with her.

"Where are you going?" he asked, trying to sound casual despite his suspicions of her as they exited the warehouse.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully, she didn't know where she was going, she just wanted to track the reiatsu she still felt lingering in the area. "I just needed some fresh air,"

"What are you planning to do, Sayomi? To get to your brother?" Kensei asked, he sounded almost tired.

She sighed and shook her head, looking up at the sky she stopped. "And why should I tell you? To give you another reason to be angry at me?"

"You should tell me because I'm your friend."

She flinched slightly, the words actually stung a little. She was hurting him by keeping him in the dark, by not telling him what she was doing, by not trusting him with the truth. "What difference does it make, Kensei?" She sighed, looking down at her hands as she wiggled a few of her thin fingers slowly. "Whether I tell you or not you're going to end up hating me so rather than have you hate me now, can't we just pretend everything is normal?"

"It's not that simple, Sayomi."

"It never is," she murmured. "You already know, Kensei," she said, looking up to meet his eyes. "You know me better than almost anyone else so you should have some idea, right?"

Kensei's face darkened slightly and he turned to stare narrowed eyed into the distance, his hands fisting at his sides. "I have an idea," he grumbled. "And I know you're too damned stubborn to listen to anything I might have to say about it."

Nodding, Sayomi sighed tiredly. "I'm sorry, for whatever it's worth, but I want to do this in my own way."

He studied her for a few long seconds before shaking his head. "Fine. I'm not in the mood for a walk anymore. Don't be out long, there's still soul reapers around," he said before turning and stalking back to the warehouse.

She watched him go and started walking again. She took her time at first before she broke out into a run and sped down the streets of the city towards the reiatsu, she stopped suddenly when it disappeared. She looked around and saw that she was by the river, in a large field, the grass here was almost to her knees and it was swaying in the chill breeze that was blowing. Her white hair stirred around her shoulders and she turned so suddenly, materializing her zanpakuto and pressing it against the pale neck of the man behind her that the butterflies that were resting nearby all flew off the flowers they had been resting on.

"You again," she said blandly as she looked into the green eyes of the Arrancar Ulquiorra.

"Would you remove your sword from my throat?" he asked coldly.

"I suppose, but the next time you try to sneak up on me...Well just don't," she said as her sword disintegrated and reformed her bracelet. It tinkled softly as she lowered her hand to her side.

"I have a message for you, I was asked not to draw any unnecessary attention."

"What's the message?" Sayomi asked, calmly folding her arms over her chest and lifting a brow in mild interest.

"Aizen-sama wishes to have you come to Hueco Muendo, as his honored guest," Ulquiorra said.

"Do you ever show emotion?" Sayomi asked curiously, the man had yet to do anything other than look bored and speak as if he were cold as ice.

"No."

"Hmm, ok then. I can't just go running off to visit Aizen-sama, I need a little help," Sayomi replied, folding her arms over her chest and tilting her head to stare at the emotionless man.

"He knew you would say that," Ulquiorra said monotonously. "So there was some information I was to relay to you."

"Oh? And just what would that be?" Sayomi inquired, grinning innocently at the emotionless Arrancar before her as he began to speak in his boring tone. "I told you he would want her alive," she said after listening to the plan that had been devised to kidnap Orihime, and herself. She stifled a satisfied chuckle at the slight twitch her comment caused.

"Your answer?" He asked coldly.

"Tell Aizen-sama I look forward to seeing him very soon."

Ulquiorra nodded before turning and ripping through a small patch of air behind him. A large dark portal opened and he stepped through it, turning to gaze at her with his dark, calculating eyes as the portal swallowed him from view.

"Well, this should be interesting," she commented to herself before turning and heading back to the warehouse.

* * *

><p>A week and a half past and Kensei and Sayomi hardly spoke to one another. Both would wake up every morning and go to the training room to see how Ichigo would fare during the day's training. He had made little progress and had everyone wondering if he was really as strong as they had believed. Each day someone would cook the meals, someone would clean and when the day ended everyone would gather upstairs to chit chat or read or watch television. Everything was almost mind numbingly boring and normal.<p>

Sayomi made no attempt to get close to anyone or even to pull away, she was simply there. She went through the daily motions as if she were a dancer performing something mundane. Through it all Kensei kept an eye on her, waiting and watching. He knew it was only a matter of time before she would disappear, and while he wasn't certain that was part of her plan he had a feeling she wasn't going to be sticking around much longer. She wasn't one to wait, she liked to put her plans into action sooner rather than later, unless waiting was going to benefit her somehow.

He knew something was wrong the moment he woke up. He had slept in later than he meant to, he hadn't been able to sleep the night before. His thoughts had kept him from being able to fall asleep until sometime after three in the morning. Judging by the slant of the sun through his one small window it was well after ten.

Rising, he got dressed and made his way to Sayomi's room. He knocked on the door, but when he got no answer he opened it only to see that she wasn't there. Her bed was made and her room looked like it always did, but something wasn't sitting well with him. Sayomi had always been able to hide her presence well, but she had gotten lax over the years, at least when she was in the warehouse. She knew there was no need to hide beneath Hachi's shields, but even then she still kept her presence mostly concealed. Even then though, he had been able to sense her, at least somewhat, but he couldn't sense her now. Not even a little.

"Where the hell are you, Sayomi?" He shouted as he stalked down the hall. "Dammit, Sayomi, answer me!"

"Eh, geez, Kensei, waz with the yelling? Sayomi went to the store for stuff to make dinner," Shinji drawled as he sat up from his position on the couch and rubbed at his eyes.

"How long ago?" Kensei asked, barely managing to keep the anger he felt out of his voice.

"Ehh," he groaned as he looked at the clock above the television. "Hmmm, maybe ten minutes ago."

Kensei relaxed slightly, if she had gone to the store she would be gone for at least forty-five minutes to an hour. Even though that time hadn't elapsed something still didn't sit well with him, something still felt wrong.

"I'm going to go find her," he said as he made his way to the door.

He wasn't even halfway there when there was a sudden shift in spiritual pressures as four strong energies suddenly appeared above the city.

"Let me go dammit!"

Kensei and Shinji both turned their heads to see that Love and Rose were trying, unsuccessfully, to detain a very enthusiastic Ichigo. Kensei took hold of the arm that Love was forced to release as the orange haired boy jerked it away and attempted to make a break for the door.

"Ya ain't going anywhere, now calm down," Kensei ordered.

"Let me go!" Ichigo shouted as he struggled against the two holding him.

"Let your soul reaper friends handle it, it's what they're here for," Kensei grunted as Ichigo continued to struggle forcefully.

"It's what I'm training for! If I don't go now, then what the hell am I here for!"

Kensei opened his mouth to shout out an answer, but Shinji stepped forward and grabbed a hold of Kensei's shirt. "Let him go."

"What the hell are you thinking, Shinji," Kensei yelled as he released his grip on Ichigo, who immediately flashed out of the room.

"He needs to learn his limits," Shinji replied.

"He's going to get himself killed!" Kensei snapped.

"I would've thought you'd be more worried 'bout Sayomi," Shinji replied.

Kensei seemed a little surprised by the sudden statement and clenched his fists before muttering a long line of curses and heading to the door.

"Hey, hey, Kensei, wai-"

"Let him go, Love," Shinji called in his usual lazy drawl as he lowered himself down to the ground and leaned against a large rock.

Sayomi was leaning casually against a tree, looking up into the cloudy blue sky as a large rip appeared and four people dressed in white stepped out of the blackness behind it. Two were familiar to her, two were not. She stayed where she was as she watched the blue haired Grimmjow break away from the group and head in the direction that she could sense Ichigo's spiritual pressure. She could feel an angry Kensei headed her way too, but she didn't care, she sped off in the direction that Grimmjow had gone. It seemed the man really didn't care about orders, only his personal vendettas.

She halted near the fight that was already in progress and watched Ichigo and Grimmjow, who Sayomi noticed was missing his left arm. Not caring that she was in plain sight while staring at something no one else could see, she stood in the middle of the street with her head tilted towards the sky, watching as Ichigo drew out his inner hollow and his white and red mask formed over his face. Grimmjow seemed a little surprised by the sudden shift in Ichigo's reiatsu and barely managed to draw his sword in time to block Ichigo's zanpakuto that was in its ban-kai state as it nearly sliced his chest open.

The two broke apart and seconds later Ichigo sent a blade of condensed black energy at Grimmjow who was unable to avoid it. Once the sky cleared enough for Sayomi to get a good look at the man, she saw the damage that had been done. He was covered in blood from his head all the way down to his abdomen.

Frowning, Sayomi decided to get closer and ran into an alleyway to avoid being seen as she flashed her way to the highest rooftop she could get to. When she managed to look back up at the fight Ichigo was behind a stunned Grimmjow, his black blade held out before him. Another wave of black energy directly hit the blue haired Arrancar and sent him flying through the air. He recovered quickly and sent a cero flying at Ichigo, who managed to block it with his sword.

"You're running out of time, Ichigo," Sayomi mumbled impatiently as Grimmjow threw himself at Ichigo.

Sayomi growled when seconds later Ichigo's mask began to break apart just as his and Grimmjow's swords connected with a screech and shower of bright sparks. She saw Grimmjow smirk at the surprised look on Ichigo's face before pushing Ichigo's sword away and slicing his shoulder open causing the injured Ichigo to begin falling towards the earth.

"Dammit," she cursed as Ichigo collided with the asphalt below them and began trying to reform his mask. Grimmjow wasn't going to have any of it though and swiftly kicked him in the gut, sending flying into the wall of the building Sayomi now stood upon, a trail of dirt and smoke in his path.

'_There's a soul reaper_-'

'I know, Fuyu,' Sayomi snapped, things weren't going as planned and she wasn't pleased. She couldn't risk being seen by a soul reaper, especially Rukia Kuchiki, Byakuya's sister.

Growling in annoyance, she fled the rooftop and jumped back into the shadowy alleyway before running in the opposite direction in an attempt to put some more space between her and the approaching girl. She knew she was going to help Ichigo and there was likely nothing to worry about, but it was better safe than sorry.

She halted abruptly and spun around, running back towards the fight with a string of curses falling from her lips. The reiatsu of Byakuya's sister had dropped drastically and then Shinji's showed up a few seconds later.

"Stupid twit," she mumbled as she ran through the alley, jumping back on to the rooftops and back in to the bright sun in enough time to see Shinji in his Vizard form shooting a large red cero towards Grimmjow. She had to shield her eyes from the bright glow, but her eyes were rooted to the spot the Arrancar had been only moments before. He was still alive, she could sense it, she could also sense another reiatsu making its way into the world of the living as well. "What am I supposed to do now?" She grumbled as she furrowed her brows at the scene in front of her.

"Nothing," a cold voice said from behind her.

Her eyes widened, she had sensed him, she had felt him coming into the world of the living, but how he had gotten behind her without her noticing was something she didn't understand. She felt a cold hand at her throat and something warm sliding down her neck and in to her shirt. Raising a hand to her throat, she was stunned when she saw the red smear of fresh blood on her fingertips.

'This isn't how this was supposed to go,' she thought as she turned and tried to lift her hand to call out Fuyukaze. She ended up yelling out in surprise and pain when a pale hand was thrust through her right shoulder. Not even a second later she was flying through the air after a palm had connected with her stomach, she grunted but managed to skid to a stop not far in front of Grimmjow. Who upon seeing her growled, and looked over to Ulquiorra who was observing him with cold detachment.

"Sayomi," Ichigo yelled as she clutched at her shoulder that was pouring blood all over her and dripping to the ground below her.

"You're in the way again, woman," Grimmjow growled as he glared in Shinji's direction.

"Have you forgotten what you came here to do, Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra asked as Sayomi fell onto her knees in the sky and coughed up a stream of blood.

"I'm busy," the blue haired man growled as he raised his sword in preparation to release it.

Ulquiorra was behind him before he could even form the words to do so, his hand wrapped around the hilt of Grimmjow's sword. "Get the woman," he ordered.

Grimmjow hissed, but sheathed his zanpakuto and grabbed Sayomi's right arm, jerking her upwards harshly. She let out a pained cry and clenched her teeth together to drown out the pain.

"We're done here," Ulquiorra said coldly as he ripped a hole into the sky and walked into it, Grimmjow behind him tugging on Sayomi.

"Sayomi," she heard Shinji yell, she looked back to see him flying towards them. The portal closed before he could get within a few feet of it.

* * *

><p>~AN~

Ugh! I feel like I've lost the ability to write. And this is a rewrite, there's still not a whole lot that's different! It seems so hard to get ideas anymore and to actually be able to write them out without sounding like an idiot is even harder...

Anywho, thank you to everyone for the lovely reviews and the awesome favorites and all that fun stuff. Much appreciated!

Feed the monster!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 15**

**We All Want Something **

Blinking her eyes to keep them focused Sayomi hissed at the pain in her shoulder when Grimmjow continued trying to pull her along like a rag doll. "I can walk," she snapped bitterly as she kicked him roughly in the side.

"Bitch," he growled, releasing as he was pushed away from her. He attempted to attack her, but was stopped by Ulquiorra's outstretched arm.

"Enough," the green eyed man stated monotonously making Sayomi wonder if he really was capable of speaking in any other way but the same bored tone.

"Did you really have to go so far as to punching a hole in my shoulder?" Sayomi demanded angrily, wincing when the added effort of anger made a spasm of pain lance through her chest.

The emotionless man didn't respond. He simply placed his hands casually in his pockets. Sayomi and Grimmjow both growled at the man as he walked coolly away from them both. Sayomi because of his lack of response, Grimmjow because he didn't know that she had been in on her own kidnapping.

"You didn't fucking say she knew," Grimmjow shouted.

"It wasn't any of your concern. Your orders were to retrieve her with as little damage to her as possible."

"So he isn't supposed to hurt me, but you can?" Sayomi inquired blandly.

"Yes."

"Is he always like this?" Sayomi asked Grimmjow.

Grimmjow grunted in reply.

"Articulate, aren't you?" Sayomi taunted before coughing and hacking up a stream of blood that she spat out with disgusted grimace.

"Weak, aren't you?" Grimmjow jeered, smirking as Sayomi growled while wiping the blood from her chin.

"Don't underestimate me, you blue haired freak. I'll rip you to shreds," Sayomi growled, ignoring the blood that was streaming from her should and down her arm from where her hand was attempting to keep the blood from flowing, with little success.

"You don't scare me, woman."

"Would you two stop your bickering? We're almost there," Ulquiorra cut in, emotionless and bland as usual.

"I'm going to kill that bastard," Sayomi and Grimmjow growled at the same time before exchanging quick glares.

A small bright white light could be seen not far in the distance, it was getting larger with every step they took until the three stepped into a long white hallway. Ulquiorra started down the path to the right and both her and Grimmjow followed without question. When he stopped in front of a door that blended into the wall Sayomi nearly ran into his back. She managed to stop herself in time but cursed under her breath, earning her a cold look from Ulquiorra and a snicker from Grimmjow.

"We just might get along," Grimmjow said with a grin.

"Maybe. We do want to brutally murder the same person at the moment," she replied with a sweet smile as she looked at Ulquiorra.

"This is your room, stay here until I retrieve you later. If you leave I'm not responsible for your safety," Ulquiorra said, pushing the white stone door open to reveal a large room with amazingly white walls.

"You guys sure like white, don't you?" She observed dully as she stepped into the room, the door shutting with a quiet grinding noise behind her.

Looking around she noted that the room was indeed quite large. There was a black couch and two black chairs around a black table in the center of the room a few yards from the door. Beyond that was a doorway that lead into another chamber, walking into that she noticed it was a bedroom and there was a bathroom off to the right. The bed was positioned under the large rectangular window in the back of the room, the sheets were the only thing in the room that weren't black or white. Instead they were a deep blue like the night sky. On either side of the bed were small white tables, and there was also a black changing screen set up in the right corner by the bathroom door with a small closet behind it.

"Welcome home," she mumbled as she made her way into her bathroom to clean and attempt to heal her wound.

"Hm," she mused when she heard a soft knock on the door before it creaked open.

"Himura-sama?" A quiet female voice called. "Aizen-sama asked that I heal your wounds for you."

"Come in," she called in reply as she met the girl at the entrance to her bedroom. The girl had short, choppy brown hair and the same color eyes set into her pale face. She was taller than Sayomi, which wasn't a surprise, but only by a few inches. She was thin and wore a blue over coat instead of the white she had seen on all other Arrancar so far.

"It may be best to clean it in the bathroom so as to avoid getting blood on anything else," the small girl said as she rose from her bow.

Sayomi nodded and led the way into her bathroom. She sat on the small stool that was pushed under a vanity in the outer room where her sinks were as the girl proceeded to clean and heal the wound on her arm and the small cut to her throat. Her stomach was sore and bruised, but there wasn't much to be done about that.

"I can bandage it myself," Sayomi said when the girl tried to bandage her shoulder. The girl tried to protest, but Sayomi stood from the stool and took the roll of bandages from her hands. "Thank you for your help." She said before turning away and heading through the door on the left. It led to a large white bathtub and a separate shower stall that was walled in with sheets of glass.

Turning the hot water on she let the tub fill with water before discarding her bloody clothes and climbing into the steamy pool.

* * *

><p>"Hey woman! Get up! Aizen-sama wants to see you," Grimmjow yelled obnoxiously, barging through Sayomi's door and stepping inside without bothering to knock. He breezed through her living area and straight into her bed chamber where she was lying on her bed.<p>

She lifted her head from a soft pillow and gazed at him through her icy blue eyes. "You should knock next time, or I might mistake you for cat food."

"Hn. You couldn't beat me if you tried," he replied pridefully, grinning sadistically.

"I'll take that as a challenge and say that I accept," she said as she stood up from the blue covered bed and walked through her room past Grimmjow before stopping before the door leading to the hallway. She looked back at him to see he was staring at her, his eyes roaming her body hungrily.

She was wearing a high necked halter top, the entire back was gone, but there were strips of white and black lace twisted together spaced across her back to keep it from revealing anything that shouldn't be. The shirt fell to her waist leaving a small gap between it and what looked to be a short pleated skirt, but was in fact just hakama that had been cut to be much shorter, they were secured with a black lace obi. She wore black socks that rose over her knees and a pair of white sandals. Her bracelet was on her right wrist as always, and her hair was left down and helped to hide the red skin that she hadn't bothered to bandage. Wounds were an everyday thing for a Soul Reaper, it didn't matter to her if anyone saw them.

"If you continue to stare at me like I'm your next meal..I'll kill you," she said icily, her hair whipping around her shoulders as a frigid wind stirred the air around her. Without another word she turned from Grimmjow and walked into the hall.

"Lost?" Grimmjow asked through his grin as he stepped out of the room and stood behind Sayomi.

Sayomi barely came to his chest so when she turned to glare at him she grunted at the fact she had to tilt her head back to look him in the eye.

"How's the weather down there?" He asked.

"Actually I just forgot something," she said before stepping around him and back into the room. She reappeared a moment later looking the same as she had except a little taller. She was now wearing black heeled boots that stopped just below her knees and laced in the back with white ribbon. "Now I'm ready."

Grimmjow chuckled at her before leading the way down the hall.

"We've been walking for fifteen minutes," Sayomi pointed out in haughty sigh.

"And?" Grimmjow grunted.

"Everything looks the same."

"You get used to it. We're almost there, come on, I'll get us there real quick."

Before she had a chance to voice her objections, Grimmjow grabbed her around the waist, pulling her close to his body, and sped off down the hall. She could hear a strange static like sound as they ran and she found it to be rather annoying. Flash stepping was much better in her opinion than the sonido of the arrancar.

Sayomi growled to show her displeasure with the fact that Grimmjow seemed to be enjoying the closeness of their bodies. "Put me down, now, unless you'd like to lose your other arm," she spat.

"Your temper is bigger than you are. You sure you can see it from down there?"

Grimmjow grunted as Sayomi forced his arm over her head before flipping him on to his back on the white floor. She stomped her heeled foot down onto the bandaged wound on his chest, smirking at the hiss she elicited from him.

"Anything else you'd like to say?" Sayomi inquired crossly, her hands on her hips as she tilted a brow challengingly.

"Yeah, I like it when the woman's on top."

Sayomi's smirk disappeared and so did Grimmjow's, the way she was staring at him was unsettling and he shifted under her foot, he was ordered not to hurt her and he was going to follow orders, for once, besides he was beginning to think she could kick his ass if she wanted to. Lifting her foot from his chest, she turned her back to him and began walking down the hall where she could hear raised voices from behind a set of large double doors. Half way to them she paused and looked back at Grimmjow who had stood and was walking a few paces behind her, he looked at her with a hint of uncertainty.

"I prefer the man on top," she said before turning away from a rather stunned Grimmjow and walking up to the double doors that swung open on their own as she approached.

"I'm sure we could arrange that," Grimmjow whispered in her ear as they walked into a large throne room.

Sayomi snorted, but choose to ignore the comment while her eyes rose to find Aizen sitting in a white throne on the top of a high platform at the opposite end of the room.

There were two columns of round pillars down the center of the long room, on either side of the pillars were what looked like balconies without railings. There were several Arrancar scattered around these balconies, their eyes on her as she made her way to the platform in the center of the room.

"Ah, Sayomi, what a pleasure to see you again,"Aizen greeted with a small smile she figured was meant to be charming.

"It has been awhile, hasn't it? Since you tried to kill me for what you changed me into?" Sayomi replied, a small jovial smile on her face.

"It was a simple misunderstanding and you were trying to kill one of my subordinates," Aizen said smoothly.

"The woman was a Soul Reaper," Grimmjow snapped angrily.

"Was, yes. Not any longer though, right, Aizen? Sorry, Aizen-sama," Sayomi said adding a little extra emphasis to the sama.

"That is correct. Sayomi here was once a captain level Soul Reaper, possibly even stronger than most captains, but she happened to accidentally come into contact with a substance I had created. After that, she was changed into something else. A Vizard, basically she is the opposite to all the Arrancar here. She is a Soul Reaper with the powers of a Hollow," Aizen explained calmly, smiling the whole time.

Sayomi kept her gaze focused on the man until she heard the doors behind her open once again. Turning around, she saw Ulquiorra leading in a rather withdrawn looking Orihime.

"Hello, Orihime Inoue," Aizen greeted warmly as the young girl was brought before him, she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and had not yet noticed Sayomi. "I'm sorry to ask this so soon, but I'd like for you to demonstrate your abilities for us."

Sayomi growled and stepped between Orihime and the platform Aizen sat upon when the man increased his spiritual pressure to the point that Orihime began to wobble on her feet. "No need to be so demanding, Aizen-sama. I'm sure Orihime wouldn't have a problem showing you her ability if you just asked nicely. Isn't that right, Orihime?" she asked silkily as she turned to face the girl.

"S-Say-Sayomi," Orihime stuttered out as her innocent eyes widened.

Sayomi smiled encouragingly, calmly. "Hello, Orihime. I'm sorry, but I must insist you do as Aizen-sama asks. We don't want you getting hurt, now do we?"

Orihime swallowed and shook her head. "What would you like me to do?" She asked in a quiet whisper.

"I would like you to heal Grimmjow's left arm. Sayomi's shoulder as well, it's unsightly," Aizen replied as he waved a hand at Sayomi and Grimmjow.

Orihime nodded submissively before raising her hands to Sayomi's shoulder. "Souten Kishun, I reject," she muttered in a soft voice. A pale yellow light wrapped itself around Sayomi's shoulder, immediately the large scar began to disappear. After only a few seconds there was no sign that Sayomi had been hurt at all and there was no longer any stiffness in her joint or the muscle.

"Thank you, Orihime," Sayomi said politely, offering another reassuring smile.

"You're welcome, Sayomi," Orihime replied with a forced smile.

"It would seem that there are those that are not pleased with the arrival of our guests," Aizen stated as his eyes came to rest on a feminine man that stood several yards behind Orihime. "Isn't that right, Luppi?"

"To say our whole battle was just to bring those women here...I can't accept that. And what are they good for? Some weird Soul Reaper and a girl who can heal, big deal," the thin dark haired man said.

"Would you mind healing Grimmjow's arm, Orihime? It seems that you're being underestimated," Sayomi said, though she sounded pleasant there was an undertone in her voice that made Orihime shiver as she walked up to Grimmjow.

The same golden shield formed where his left arm should have been and slowly his arm began to materialize within the golden barrier until it was once again whole and without a single scratch.

Luppi was yelling and complaining in the background that what Aizen was asking for couldn't be done and insulting Orihime. Sayomi was growing tired of the constant ranting and disappeared from her spot, she reappeared in front of Luppi who looked at her with wide eyes.

"You talk too much. You should learn to keep your mouth shut in the company of those who are better than you," she said coldly.

"Chi..You, a soul reaper, better than me? You're just-"

He was cut off when Sayomi ducked down slightly and raised her left leg to kick him squarely in the jaw. He flew into the air and landed a few yards away, glaring at her as he wiped blood from his mouth. "You'll pay for that," he growled.

Sayomi chuckled lightly. "I doubt it."

"Enough, Luppi," Aizen called, the annoyance clear in his crisp voice. "I'm afraid that if you harm Sayomi I will have to reprimand you. Now about Orihime's powers, if you still don't understand, let me explain it to you. The power this girl possesses is perfect event rejection. Her ability allows her to choose a target and then she can limit, reject, and deny what was done to it. No matter the event that occurred she can reject it. What she can do violates the realm of God," he finished.

"Heal this too, chick," Grimmjow said as he pointed to a burn on his back. As the skin repaired itself a tattoo of the number six appeared, the same number that was on Luppi's hip.

"What are you trying to pull, Grimmjow?" Luppi sneered.

Grimmjow grinned evilly before walking forward and thrusting his hand through Luppi's chest. Sayomi made a disgusted noise and stepped out of the way of the spray of blood that was raining down upon the white floor.

"You bastard," Luppi choked as blood dripped from his mouth and he glared at Grimmjow, whose grin only grew.

"Later, number six," Grimmjow said before blasting Luppi apart with a cero.

Sayomi watched with disinterest as Grimmjow threw his head back and laughed while shouting out that he was number six.

"Are all of your new subordinates so...passionate?" Sayomi asked, turning to face Aizen once again.

"Not all of them." He chuckled in amusement, shaking his head. "Speaking of which there was someone who wanted to see you. Gin," Aizen called.

"Ya called?" A low, sing song voice answered not a moment later.

"Our guests have arrived, say hello."

Sayomi's eyes moved to the new person on the platform. He was tall and thin. His frame was similar to hers, only she was much shorter and probably only stood between the man's elbows and his shoulders. He wore a fox like grin on his face and his eyes were narrowed to the point they looked closed and it made it hard to determine the color. Sayomi knew their color though, they were a pale blue. Just like hers.

"Hello, big brother," Sayomi greeted with a warm smile.

"Hey there, Sayomi, how ya been? She's even prettier than I remember her bein'," Gin said as he turned his grin to Aizen.

"She hasn't gotten much taller though," Aizen replied with a smile.

Sayomi grunted and turned her head away, her neck was beginning to get sore from staring up at the men on the high platform.

"What's she doin' here anyways?" Gin asked as if he were confused by her presence.

"She wanted to visit. Her reasons are unknown to me at the moment though. Would you like to enlighten us, Sayomi?" Aizen asked.

Sayomi knew the question was less a question and more of an order, but she didn't care since she had no problem answering it. "Of course. Although I would think it would be obvious... I want revenge," she said bluntly.

"Against whom?" Aizen asked curiously, a smirk forming on his lips as he rested his cheek against his fist.

Sayomi smirked as well. "Soul Society of course."

"Is that so? I always thought you loved Soul Society," Aizen replied.

She shrugged. "Loved, yes, but I no longer have the same sentiments. I was ordered to die because I was made stronger, but all they saw was the hollow in me, not the Soul Reaper. I want them to see what they threw away, the power they could have had on their side if they had only been more open minded. They took everything away from me, and I want to do the same," she explained.

"I see, so you wish to join us then?" Aizen asked, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

"Yes," she answered as she looked right into his cold eyes. Her voice sounded dead, there was no emotion there, but in her eyes was coldness and hatred that could rival Aizen's.

"What do you think, Gin, Kaname?" Aizen asked.

Sayomi hadn't noticed Tousen who was standing quietly to Aizen's right.

"I think it would be fun. As long as she doesn't try killin' me again," Gin replied.

"Could you blame me?" Sayomi countered. "You were traitors in my eyes at the time. It wasn't until later I realized how powerful we had all become and who the traitors really were... It wasn't you." She spoke calmly even though on the inside she wanted nothing more than to rip the smile right off of Gin's face.

"'Spose not," he conceded with a nonchalant shrug.

"Do you have any objections, Kaname?" Aizen asked.

"None. I remember her disliking fighting for the sake of fighting as much as I do, but her power may be helpful," the man replied.

"So it's settled then. Welcome to your new home, Sayomi. You as well, Orihime," Aizen said. "These two are to be treated respectfully, anything less and you will be severely punished, understood?" Without waiting for any form of response since his word was meant to be like a law he continued on. "Ulquiorra, please show Ms Inoue to her room and make sure she's comfortable. Sayomi will remain here with us, the rest of you are dismissed."

Sayomi remained where she was standing as the large room emptied, her gaze focused on the three men above her.

"Gin, Kaname, you may go as well," Aizen said as he stared down at Sayomi.

Gin's smile fell slightly as he turned to look at Aizen questioningly. Kaname bowed and left without another word as Gin stayed where he was until Aizen cast a look in his direction.

"Well, Sayomi, I'll be seein' ya later. I'll give ya a tour," Gin said before turning and leaving as well.

"Would you like to join me on the balcony? The view is rather nice," Aizen asked as he stood from his throne and made his way behind it to somewhere Sayomi couldn't see.

Flashing her way to the top of the platform, she followed the former captain through a doorway that led to a large balcony that over looked a desert of white sand that was bathed in moonlight. She kept her hands at her sides as she stopped a few feet away from Aizen and looked over the barren landscape.

"I hear the ryoka boy has been taught how to release his inner hollow and has gotten much stronger."

"He has," Sayomi confirmed with a nod.

"How much stronger?"

"Not much. No need to worry, if it comes to it I can handle him easily."

"I thought he was a friend of yours."

"I have no friends," Sayomi replied, and she felt it was the truth.

"I see. I'm sorry to hear that," Aizen said as he leaned against the railing behind him and gazed at Sayomi.

"Why? The ones that didn't betray me were betrayed by me. They have yet to be replaced is all."

"Do I not count as a friend?"

Inwardly Sayomi shivered, outwardly she remained unshaken and blank. "Do you wish to be considered friends with your subordinate? That is what I am, right?"

"Wrong. Yourself, Gin, and Kaname are all very important to me. You will help make my dreams come to fruition. Isn't that something a friend would do for another friend?"

"I suppose."

"Then we're friends, are we not?"

"It would seem so," Sayomi replied with a coy smile.

"You're even more beautiful then I remember, and that's quite amazing," Aizen said as he stepped forward and placed a palm on Sayomi's cheek.

Sayomi's smile faltered before disappearing altogether. She didn't know what to do, she had no idea how to react. A part of her wanted to push him away and threaten him, but another part knew that wouldn't be wise. His hand was cold and it made her want to wretch, this man was dangerous and could kill her in a second. She had never before felt so small and weak.

"Gin, stopping spying," Aizen said as he removed his hand from Sayomi's cheek and looked over at Gin who was walking out of the same doorway they had come through minutes before.

"Ah, ya caught me. I was just checkin' that you were behavin' yourself with my little Sayomi," the grinning man said as he patted Sayomi's head.

"Of course. I have things to attend to, show her around and make sure she's comfortable."

"I don't remember him being so scary," Sayomi said after Aizen had disappeared from view.

"You don't know him well," Gin sighed absently. "Now, come along."

* * *

><p>She laid on the large bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her first day in Hueco Muendo had past and her second had yet to begin. For all intents and purposes she was now a member of Aizen's army and she wasn't really sure how she felt about it. She was also beginning to think she had sorely misjudged just what Aizen had wanted her for. She had thought she could be of some use considering how strong she was and the powers she had at her disposal, thanks to him of course. Her plan had originally been to act thankful and to be grateful of the gift he had given her even though he had tried to kill her for it. Now though she was beginning to wonder if it was her help he really wanted or something else and her stomach turned cold when she remembered how he touched her the night before.<p>

Shivering involuntarily, Sayomi sighed and rolled on to her side so she was no longer staring at the ceiling, but the wall. "I guess I just have to play along," she murmured.

_'It's a dangerous game you're playing, little one,'_ Fuyukaze's airy voice advised softly.

'I know. I knew it would be from the beginning,' Sayomi replied. 'I knew I'd have to make sacrifices. I didn't come here expecting to leave, I came here expecting to accomplish something. Nothing more.'

There was a silence from Fuyukaze, but Sayomi didn't close her eyes or attempt to visualize him so she might see what kind of look he wore on his face. She could imagine it wasn't a happy one.

'_You plan on dying here_?' He asked after several seconds, his voice calm, but there was something beneath it that made goosebumps form on Sayomi's arms making her pull the sheets just a little tighter to her body.

'I don't plan on dying,' she answered softly. 'I just don't expect to live either.'

'_You're such a difficult child_,' Fuyukaze sighed.

"I'm not a child," Sayomi grumbled aloud.

'_While I certainly don't think you're going to get out of this in one piece, I don't think you'll be dying here_.'

'Is that so?' Sayomi inquired coolly. 'What makes you think that?'

'_You're too stubborn_,' he replied.

'I-' Her own reply was stopped abruptly when the main door to her room was loudly thrust open, crashing into the wall hard enough to send dust into the air.

Grimmjow strolled casually into her room, his hands in his pockets and a wicked grin on his face.

"Didn't I tell you to knock?" Sayomi asked coldly.

Grimmjow chuckled at her as he leaned against the door frame to her bedroom, his cropped jacket revealing most of his well defined abdomen and chest. "Like I'm gonna listen to you. I don't give a damn if you're that freaky fox face's sister, you're still just a weak little girl in my book."

Sayomi's blue eyes narrowed while she sat up to glare across the room at Grimmjow. "Do you have a death wish?"

"No, but you challenged me so get off your scrawny ass and fight me. Or are you too weak?" Grimmjow taunted.

Her brow rose angrily. "Weak? Me? I think you're confused, little kitten, you couldn't touch me if you tried."

"Wanna make it a bet then?"

"Sure, why not? It's not like I plan on losing to an egotistical bastard like you," she grumbled grumpily.

"You may not plan on it, but you will. Now get moving, I'm in the mood to hit something," Grimmjow said as he turned to walk out of the room.

Sayomi growled, but pushed herself up from the bed. She was dressed in a simple white nightgown which she pulled over her head to toss carelessly away while stepping behind the changing screen. She emerged a moment later in the same outfit she had worn the prior day. Her heels clicked against the cold stone floor as she followed after Grimmjow, who sneered at her from where he waited by the door before he began to walk down the hall. She followed along a step behind him silently.

"And just where are you two goin' all alone?"

Sayomi forced down a disgusted grunt, but the annoyed frown that passed over her face and the glint of hate in her eyes didn't go unnoticed by Grimmjow who had turned before she had to face the grinning man behind them.

"It seems Grimmy here doesn't think a woman can beat him in a fight. I was going to prove him wrong," Sayomi said with as she flashed Grimmjow a devious smile as she turned around.

"Who the hell you callin' Grimmy?" Grimmjow snapped at her angrily.

"What? I think it's cute," Sayomi replied as she innocently smiled at an annoyed Grimmjow.

"Cute? Who the hell wants to be 'cute'?" He muttered.

"Apparently not you," Sayomi shot back childishly.

Grimmjow snarled at her through his bared teeth, Sayomi just flashed another smile.

"You two seem to be gettin' along well, I'll leave ya to your fighting," Gin said as he turned and began walking down the hall, waving a hand at them. "And don't kill 'im, Sayomi, we need him."

"I'll try, but no promises," she answered.

"As if you can even scratch me," Grimmjow muttered. "Now hurry up girly, I'm pissed off and you'd better put up a good fight."

"Same goes for you, Grimmy," Sayomi replied in a sing song voice, smirking at the string of angry curses she received from the blue haired man.

Grimmjow led her to a large, open rectangular room, of course everything here was white as well. The floor, the walls, the ceiling, everything.

After a few steps into the plain room, Sayomi was forced to dodge a blow from Grimmjow's sword, she bent backwards as the sword whistled its way past her face.

"You know, it's nice to give your opponent a chance to draw their own sword before attacking," Sayomi scolded blandly. "Not that I mind, you can't beat me."

"You don't have a sword, dumb shit. How the hell do you plan on attacking me? Ya gonna turn into to a fluffly little kitten and claw my face off?"

"You're right I don't have a sword at the moment. How silly of me," she said as she jumped over the next attack and landed back to back with Grimmjow who swung around again.

"What the hell?" he shouted when his sword was stopped from slicing her side open by a shiny silver, mirror like sword with dark blue and silver ribbons adorning its hilt.

"Don't look so surprised, kitten. It doesn't suit you," Sayomi remarked dryly as she pushed him away from her effortlessly.

"Where the hell'd that come from?"

"Notice anything missing?" She asked blandly, holding her right arm out before her.

"The bracelet," Grimmjow grunted.

"Right. My sealed zanpakuto is in the form of my bracelet. Hence the reason I never take it off."

"Stupid bitch," he growled quietly.

"Name calling is bad, little one. Now, how about we teach you that women are stronger than men?" Sayomi said with a smirk while she bent her knees slightly and held her zanpakuto out before her, its blade parallel to the floor.

"This should be fun," he replied before leaping into the air.

"Too easy," Sayomi sighed, raising her right arm in an arc and blocking Grimmjow's hit with fluid grace.

He landed on the ground a few feet in front of her. He swung out at her again. She did a quick hands free back flip, smirking at the annoyed glare she got from Grimmjow when she countered his next attack by leaping over her him.

"Would you fight dammit?"

"Oh, sorry, I was just giving you a chance to give up, but-"

"Like hell I'm giving up," he yelled as he slashed at her again, trying to slice her chest open.

She ducked again, spinning on the heels of her boots and knocking Grimmjow's legs out from under him. He hit the ground with a loud grunt as the air was knocked from his lungs. Sayomi put her booted foot on his chest and dug the thin heel into his gut.

"Wanna give up while you still can?"

"You wish," Grimmjow retorted, grabbing her ankle and pulling her down on top of him.

She hissed through her teeth as her knee collided with the cold stone floor and brought her zanpakuto up to his throat, pressing the blunt edge with her left hand.

"I forgot you like the man on top," he said before knocking her arm up and using his right leg to push her to the ground, flipping himself on top of her.

"Bastard, get off of me," she hissed.

"I thought you liked it this way?" Grimmjow teased as he leaned towards her.

"Fine, you won't move... I'll move you," she said.

A chill wind stirred in all corners of the room before circling Grimmjow. It looked like he was being engulfed in tiny white snowflakes. Their breath became visible in small puffs as they exhaled.

"Bye," Sayomi remarked before Grimmjow went flying off of her and into the wall at least thirty yards behind him, it was like he had been kicked in the gut by a strong force.

She sighed when he charged at her after regaining his fighting stance, she blocked and dodged and attacked.

"Thanks for the workout. It's been awhile since I've fought someone as strong as you whose weaknesses I didn't know. However, I'm a little bored, so I'll be ending this now," Sayomi told Grimmjow as they locked swords once again.

"We're not done ye-"

Before he could finish his come back Sayomi kicked him in the chest, pushing him away from her. She then lunged as she swung Fuyukaze out in front of her. A flurry of swirling, writhing wind flew at Grimmjow. He growled as he tried to dodge only to realize it was impossible to predict how the wind moved. The biting wind slashed at him continuously, leaving bleeding gashes all over his body. He grunted as he was pushed back by the sheer force of the wind, dropping his sword when his fingers went numb. Crossing his arms in front of himself he tried to block as much of the cutting winds from tearing into him as he could. With another grunt he was knocked off his feet and thrown into the wall behind him, there was a loud crash as the wall broke apart around his body.

Sayomi walked forward as the wind dissipated, none of the remaining swirls did any damage to her as she stepped through them. She brought her sword to Grimmjow's throat as he tried to free himself from the rubble of the broken wall. A growl rumbled from deep in his throat as his jaw clenched and he turned his infuriated blue eyes up to hers.

"You lose," she stated. There was no pride or happiness in her voice, it was cold and distant.

"For now," he grunted in reply.

"I do believe we had a bet. We never discussed what the terms were though," Sayomi said as she held her arm out to her side letting her zanpakuto return to its place on her wrist as she crouched down in front of him.

"What the hell do you want?" Grimmjow asked bitterly, wiping at the blood that was dripping down his face.

Taking a few moments to study the man in front of her, Sayomi frowned absently before asking, "Why do you think I came here?"

The question had caught him slightly off guard. "How the hell would I know?"

"You don't think it's odd?" She asked. "That I would go through the trouble of staging my own kidnapping rather than just come here on my own?"

"What are you getting at?"

"I agreed to the kidnapping because it was easier than just walking in the front door. I had lost the trust of some of my friends and was being watched to closely to move on my own, but they knew my plans. I had never really kept them secret. Ever since I was given Aizen's 'gift' I've wanted one thing and I didn't care what it took to get it, but nothing is ever simple and I couldn't simply disappear. I suppose the kidnapping idea was a little overboard considering there are people who will see through it, but it served its purpose and got me here. It got me to him."

"Who?" Grimmjow asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"My brother," Sayomi replied, standing up and dusting herself off. "There's something I want from him, Aizen too."

"What would that be?"

Sayomi smiled, her blue eyes icy. "Their lives."

* * *

><p>~AN~

I'm still using a lot of the original, but the order and how I'm using it is very different from the original. The next few chapters are in the works, I'm trying to work in some more stuff though. Mainly more Byakuya. :)

Thank you to all of my lovely readers and reviewers! You are all the bestest!

Now if you could please feed the monster, it would be much appreciated. Thank you!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 16**

**Shattered Dreams**

As she lay in bed that night she thought about whether or not she should have told Grimmjow her true reason for being in Hueco Muendo. In no way did she regret what she had done, she had a feeling that there was more to the aggressive blue haired Arrancar than he let on. He could prove to be useful, or he could prove to be the death of her. However, he had only responded by saying she was out of her mind. It was as he was brushing the dirt off of himself as best he could that Sayomi had seen it in his eyes; a dark, thoughtful glint that told her he was considering what she had said and just what the odds were she would succeed. It had been a gamble telling him, but she had gotten the sense that he loathed Tousen and Tousen worked under Aizen, it was a thin thread but she had pulled it and it didn't seem to have broken.

'_It was a risk telling him_,' Fuyukaze spoke up in her mind, echoing her train of thought.

Closing her eyes Sayomi let the world around her fade away to be replaced with Fuyukaze's world. It was chill, as usual, and she stood inside a cave near a small fire that gave off a nice warmth as its flames shimmered and danced brightly against the gray of the stone walls. Fuyukaze himself stood beside the mouth of the cave, looking out into the mountain range. Little bits of snow swirled lazily in the wind outside.

"_I'm surprised_," he said, turning away from the gap in the dark rocks to stare at Sayomi.

"By what?" She asked, taking a seat on the ground and leaning into a smooth portion of wall near the fire.

"_How calm the winds outside are_," he replied.

Sayomi shrugged. "I don't see why. This was something I've wanted for a long time, things may be a little more complicated than I would like with Aizen, but I don't plan on letting that stop me."

"_Of course not, you're too stubborn, little hime_." He smiled when Sayomi threw a contemptuous glare in his direction. "_I just would have thought it would have been harder for you to leave everyone behind._"

Sayomi's eyes flickered and she looked away from Fuyukaze to stare into the flames, she didn't fail to notice the short abrupt flurry of snow that swept past the cave as she did so. "I loved my brother," she murmured quietly, her eyes growing cloudy and far away. "He meant the world to me. He _was_ the world to me. If it hadn't been for him I would have died the night our mother threw us into that dark forest in hopes that some hungry Hollow would rid her of her freakish offspring. I was too young, too small and too naïve. I had no idea what types of things were out there waiting and lurking in the shadows, I'm not just talking about Hollows, but people. People can do evil things too... He sheltered me from all of that. He somehow managed to keep a tiny little child alive and healthy.. And innocently unaware of most of the dangers of the world we lived in."

"_Sounds like no small feat_," Fuyukaze observed, sitting beside Sayomi and wrapping an arm around her as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I may have grown up with no home, but it didn't matter. He always got us food and whatever we needed when needed it. I didn't mind sleeping outside or bathing in the cold rivers and lakes when we found them, I was happy. I had my brother and that was all I needed. Then Ran joined us and I had another friend. It's hard to believe how content I was with that life. We could go days without food sometimes, but to keep my mind off of it Gin would teach me to read, write and he even taught me basic math. I didn't really know it then, but it was a miracle that I survived. Children like us died every day from starvation, sickness, abuse... It must have been hard enough to keep himself alive, but to keep me alive too? He.." She trailed off, sighing sadly.

"_He was a good brother_," Fuyukaze finished quietly.

"After I was separated and the Himura's took me in I wasn't sure if I'd ever see him again. I didn't know what had become of him. I couldn't really go looking for him and as I grew and years past I was sure I'd never see him again. I never expected to run into him as a Soul Reaper. He was so different from the brother I remembered though. He had always been a little different, there was always something a little off about him, but considering how he had to fight to survive I suppose it's not surprising. He wasn't the only one to have changed, I had too. I wasn't the same innocent, weak little girl anymore I had once been. In the end it hadn't matter though... I still remember the day he tried to kill me. It's haunted my dreams for nearly a hundred years, and it's still just as vivid as if it had happened yesterday. It had started off so normally.. Just another day.." Her eyes closed as her voice trailed off and let herself be whisked away into the world of memory.

* * *

><p>"<em>Captain Himura, you've been here all day, why don't you go get some rest, I'll finish up here," a tall busty women with strawberry blond hair offered.<em>

"_It's alright, Matsumoto, I'm fine. The wedding plans hit yet another snag, and Byakuya's stupid family elders are trying to convince him to take another bride even though we're already contracted to one another. I may have the Himura name and fortune, but I'm not a Himura, something the elders like throwing in my face as frequently as they can. And another thing, where the hell is Jin, the woman is supposed to be my lieutenant but I swear she spends more time drinking than doing paperwork," Sayomi replied as she signed her name to yet another paper and rolled it up before placing it into a stack of outgoing mail._

"_Speaking of drinking," Matsumoto said. "Look what I found," she chirped as she pulled out a bottle of sake from behind the lieutenant's desk._

"_What about it?" Sayomi asked._

"_You need to relax captain, take a break and have a drink with me. We'll have some well deserved girl time," Matsumoto replied._

_Sayomi opened her mouth to decline, but shut it and shrugged. "I suppose we'd be helping Jin, the girl really does need to cut back. Let's go to my rooms though, I don't feel like being here anymore."_

_Matsumoto squealed with delight and followed after Sayomi._

"_Oh and I have something for you, a little gift for helping me so much. I also don't mind if you flaunt it," Sayomi said as she slid open the door to her rooms and slid off her sandals. "Make yourself at home. I'll be right back."_

_When Sayomi walked out of her bedroom a few minutes later Matsumoto was sitting on her couch, pouring the sake into cups on her wooden table._

"_Here," Sayomi said as she handed the woman a small package._

"_It's beautiful," the woman said as she pulled a pink scarf out of the wrapping and placed it around her shoulders. "How does it look?"_

"_The color's good for you. Now give me some sake," Sayomi said as she sat herself down next to Matsumoto and took the cup that was being held out to her. They held their cups up in a small cheers before downing the liquid. Sayomi coughed a little as the liquid burned its way down her throat._

"_Another," Matsumoto asked, a hint of red on her cheeks as she spoke._

"_What the hell," Sayomi said as she held her glass out for more._

"_You know, Captain, you need to relax more often," Matsumoto said after downing her second cup._

"_Call me, Sayomi, the captain thing is too weird. We've known each other since we were kids after all," Sayomi replied after swallowing her own cup._

"_Sayomi, you need to relax more. You're always so tense and worried."_

"_I can't help it, there's just so much going on. We have a date for the wedding, finally, but now the elders are-"_

"_Shh! No speaking about problems, it's supposed to be a fun night. Here have more sake," Matsumoto said as she poured more sake into Sayomi's cup._

_After about an hour both women were thoroughly intoxicated. They were laughing and talking loudly, reminiscing about their youth or sharing embarrassing stories._

_There was a knock on Sayomi's door and both Sayomi and Matsumoto both looked at the door and blinked. There was another knock, more forceful and agitated._

"_Uh oh," Sayomi said as she stood up, holding her hands out to steady herself when she wobbled. "Be right back."_

_She swung open the door to come face to face, well face to chest, with Byakuya, his face impassive as usual but his brow was tweaked slightly as he gazed at her unbalanced form._

_Sayomi giggled. "Hello," she said as she waved her fingers at him._

"_Are you drunk?"_

"_No," she denied before giggling again when Matsumoto walked up behind her and threw her arms over her shoulders._

"_Hello, Captain Kuchiki," the woman trilled. "You know that Sayomi here needs more time to relax. She's always so stressed out, and worrying about the wedding. Oh, I want to help get you dressed. We'll have so much fun."_

"_Oh and make up, you have to do that. I can't put that crap on to save my life," Sayomi replied as she turned to the red head._

"_I'll come back another time," Byakuya said as he turned and walked away._

_Sayomi blinked after after him and wrenched Matsumoto's arms off of her. "Right back," she said as she ran after Byakuya, struggling to not fall over or bump into the many walls. "Wait," she called. "I'm sorry. Matsumoto found Jin's sake and it was such a long day she suggested we take a break. I agreed, I needed a little time out of the office, it's all so overwhelming. Please don't be angry at me, Byakuya."_

"_You're free to do as you wish. Why would I be angry?" he asked emotionlessly._

"_You're angry," Sayomi stated certainly. "I can tell. We're just having a little fun... It's been a long day."_

"_Fun? You're a captain now, your job and responsibilities should come first. You're not taking this seriously, especially with the disappearances in Rukongai."_

"_How can you say that? I've hardly slept in the last year. I have a lieutenant that's never around and I have to manage my household and plan a wedding. All on my own. I'm doing my best and trying to stay sane. Besides, Kensei and the Ninth division are out investigating the disappearances in Rukongai, I'm sure he'll be able to take care of it."_

"_If it was going to be too much then you shouldn't have accepted."_

"_Accepted what? The promotion or the marriage proposal?" Sayomi questioned, her voice rising bitterly. "The promotion I wanted, the marriage was decided for me."_

"_Do you wish you had fought it?" Byakuya asked, his voice as cool as always. _

_Sayomi sighed, shaking her head. "If you had asked me that when the betrothal was first revealed to me, you know I would have fought it. You would have too. We couldn't stand each other, remember?" She chuckled at the memories of their once tense relationship, and was glad to see that even Byakuya couldn't keep himself from smirking slightly. "But things changed, we aren't the same stubborn and arrogant children we used to be anymore. I do love you, Byakuya. I have for a very long time now and I am honored to be marrying you." She sighed again and looked away from Byakuya, up into the early evening sky. "You have stuck up for me, you have supported me, but not once have you told me how you felt about me. You've never told me you loved me, you've never even said anything about the marriage except when you tell me the elders want to keep postponing it.. Do you wish you had fought the proposal, Byakuya?"_

_Byakuya remained quiet as they faced each other in the dark street outside of the Tenth division._

_After receiving no response Sayomi shook her head and bit back tears while offering a small nod. "Sorry to have kept you from your business, Byakuya-sama. Sorry that I have embarrassed you tonight with my behavior. It won't happen again," she said quietly before turning away and walking back to her barrack._

"_Sayomi," he called before she had gone more than two steps._

_She stopped, but didn't turn to face him. She heard his light footsteps approaching her and closed her eyes when he stepped in front of her to tilt her face up to him gently._

"_I'm sorry I haven't said it before, but I love you."_

"_It took you long enough to admit it," she replied, a small smile forming on her lips._

"_I apologize for making you wait." He smiled softly back. _

"_Apology accepted." _

_Byakuya brushed a few strands of her hair from her face and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I needed to speak with you, your rooms would be more private."_

"_Of course. Give me a moment and I'll ask Matsumoto to leave," Sayomi said as she turned and walked back to her rooms. Byakuya followed her, a bit slowly, allowing her time to get her third seat out of her rooms. Just as the woman stumbled out of the door, giggling as she raised a bottle of sake into the air and hiccuping, Byakuya was walking to her door. He raised his eyebrows as the woman looked at him and giggled, trying to cover her mouth with her hand in a failed attempt at being modest._

"_You two behave yourselves..Or not," she slurred giddily._

"_Matsumoto," Sayomi snapped, her cheeks flushing._

_The busty woman giggled and stumbled her way towards her own barrack._

"_Should I help her?" Sayomi asked, somewhat worried as the drunken woman swerved and nearly face planted into one of the gardens._

"_I think she'll manage," Byakuya replied._

"_I hope so, anyways, come in. I'll make some tea, I could use it," she said as she held a hand to her head. "I didn't have much, but the world is spinning a bit and since I'm so close to it, it's a little weird."_

_Byakuya stifled a laugh at her as she groaned and made her way to her small kitchen in the far left corner. She set a pot of water over a small fire before excusing herself and disappearing through the door in the back of the room._

_When she walked out a few moments later she was without her haori and shinigami uniform, dressed instead in an informal blue yukata with white vines of pale pink blossoms trailing from the hem by her right ankle and wrapping around several times to end at her left shoulder, it was tied with a silver obi. Her hair was down, flowing freely over her shoulders as she walked into her kitchen to get two tea cups and the hot tea, she set everything on a tray and set it on the small table that served as a dining table. She knelt across from Byakuya, oblivious to the way his eyes had followed her as she walked, and poured them each a glass of the hot green tea._

"_I'm not delaying the wedding again," Sayomi haughtily before Byakuya even had a chance to speak as she sipped at the hot tea in her hands,._

"_It would only be a month, it would satisfy the-"_

"_The only thing that will satisfy those old jerks is you marrying someone else and you know it," she snapped._

_Sayomi sighed at the raised brow she received in response to her raised voice. She resisted the urge to childishly stick her tongue out at him and settled for sighing tiredly. "Sorry... It's just that they always do this and I don't understand how you can be so willing to give them what they want. Your grandfather was the one who suggested our union, it's disrespectful of the elders to go against his wishes." She said before quietly adding, "And hurtful to me."_

"_I in no way intend to hurt you. If you don't wish to postpone the wedding then I will speak with the elders," Byakuya said._

"_Really?" Sayomi asked, eyes sparkling happily as she tried not to grin triumphantly._

_Byakuya reached across the small table and stroked Sayomi's cheek, she unconsciously nuzzled against his warm fingers and closed her eyes. It was rare that they had time alone and they had never been intimate, having decided to wait until they were married. She reveled in the feel of his fingers against her skin and sighed as her eyes opened and she smiled at him._

"_What?" She asked curiously when she saw the strange look in his eyes as he gazed at her. It was a soft look, a look she had never seen in his eyes before._

_Instead of replying, he cupped her cheek and pulled her towards him, he leaned forward pressing their lips together warmly. They had kissed before, but this was different, there was a hunger now that neither had ever felt before. Sayomi found it hard to breathe as their lips moved together, she reached forward and she ran her hands through his soft hair. Wanting to close the gap between them, Sayomi moved around the table and knelt beside Byakuya who gently wrapped his arms around her and lifted her into his lap so that she was cradled in his arms. He stood up with her in his arms and walked through her open bedroom door._

_He set her on the large, soft bed before standing up to remove his white haori before laying over her and resuming his assault on her lips. Her breathing grew heavier as he began to kiss her neck and down the slightly open collar of her yukata._

_She swallowed and attempted to think clearly, it was much harder to do than she had thought, "Byakuya," she said breathlessly. "Are you sure about this? I thought.." she trailed off as he lightly bit her neck. "Never mind."_

"_If you don't wish me to, Sayomi, then I will stop," he whispered into her ear before flicking his tongue across the bottom of it._

"_Stop now and I think I might actually hurt you," Sayomi replied as she dug her nails into his back._

_Byakuya leaned down and kissed her again, teasing her lips with his tongue. She smiled against his lips as she slipped her hands under the black fabric of his kimono top. His skin was warm under her touch and she could feel the small goosebumps that her feathery touches caused to breakout across his skin. Her eyes closed and breathing shuttered as he ground their bodies together._

"_I will have you. You will be mine, I assure you," he said to her as he began to loosen her obi._

"_As long as you will be mine, I have no complaints," she replied breathlessly._

_She gasped and they both froze as a disturbance in the spiritual particles around them alerted them to the message that was about to be transmitted to them._

"_Emergency meeting! Emergency meeting! All captains are to report to the First division immediately! There has been an accident involving the Ninth division, we can't get a soul signal from lieutenant Mashiro Kuna or captain Kensei Muguruma. This is an emergency, report immediately to the First division headquarters!"_

_Sayomi sighed and looked up at Byakuya, she smiled halfheartedly. "It seems no one wants us together, and I'm beginning to believe we never will be."_

"_Don't say such things. I plan on marrying you in two months. We'll just have to wait patiently," he said as he kissed her on the forehead and stood from the bed._

"_I'll be there as soon as I change," Sayomi said as Byakuya slipped on his haori and straightened his disheveled hair. He nodded before sweeping from the room._

_She sighed again and quickly slipped back into her uniform and haori before leaving her room._

_Matsumoto was right outside the door seeming much more sober than she had not long before._

"_The disturbance a moment ago, has something happened?" she asked._

"_There's been a meeting called for all captains, it seems Kensei and Mashiro's soul signals can't be found. I have to go, you are in charge in my absence, Jin isn't to do anything other than find a new position. The woman is useless," Sayomi said as she turned and flashed away._

_She flashed to the First division to find the majority of the captains already gathered. She took her spot beside the Eighth division captain, Kyoraku, in his bright pink haori that he always wore over his captain's haori, and waited for head captain Yamamoto to start the meeting._

"_This is an emergency," Yamamoto's cracked old voice began. "According to reports from the Ninth division vanguard who were on stand by the captain and lieutenant, as well as six others from the Ninth division have disappeared. The reason is currently unknown. We are going to assume the worst until we have a better understanding of the situation. As of yesterday this was a problem in Rukongai, but now the pride of the Imperial Guard depends on getting to the bottom of this, so I will be selecting five captains to investigate the scene of the disappearance."_

_Everyone's eyes turned to the doorway as the double doors flew open to reveal a panting Kisuke Urahara, the captain of the Twelfth division._

"_You're late," Yamamoto scolded._

"_Please, let me go-"_

"_No," Yamamoto said before Kisuke could continue._

"_But my lieutenant is-"_

"_Get a hold of yourself, Kisuke!" Yoruichi shouted. "You sent her yourself right? Don't you think trying to go rescue her is insulting?"_

"_And it's Hiyori, the little brat will be fine," Sayomi agreed._

"_To continue," Yamamoto started again. "Third division captain Rojuro Otoribashi, Fifth division captain Shinji Hirako, Seventh division Love Aikawa. You three head to the campgrounds. Second division captain Yoruichi Shihoin stand by and await further orders."_

_Sayomi fidgeted, that was only four captains and it seemed she wouldn't be getting dispatched to the campground. As much as she wanted to believe that her former captain was fine, she also wanted to go to his aid, part of her would always be his lieutenant and she wanted to help him if she could._

"_Sixth division captain Byakuya Kuchiki, Eighth division captain Shunsui Kyoraku, Thirteenth division captain Juushiro Ukitake. Guard Seireitei."_

_'He hasn't told me to do anything,' Sayomi thought._

_'He's old, his memory must be going.'_

_'Could be, but since I don't have orders at the moment if I go to the campground I won't be disobeying direct orders,' Sayomi replied._

_'True, but you won't be following them either,' Fuyukaze pointed out._

_Sayomi's attention was brought back to the meeting when the doors reopened and two men walked in. Kido captain, Tessai Tsukabishi and his lieutenant Hachigen Oshoda._

"_Now that you know the situation I would like you both to head out to the site," Yamamoto informed them._

"_Would it be wise to send both of them?" Captain Kyoraku asked. "We don't know what's out there."_

"_What would you suggest then?"_

"_Send my lieutenant instead," he replied. "Oh, Lisa," he called._

"_Yes, captain," a dark haired woman answered as her face came into view form between to of the slats in the window._

"_Will you do it?" Kyoraku asked._

"_Of course," Lisa replied._

"_It's settled then. Shinji Hirako, Rojuro Otoribashi, Love Aikawa, Lisa Yadomaru, and Hachigen Oshoda, you five will leave for the camp site immediately," Yamamoto commanded._

_The five nodded and everyone began to file out of the room._

"_Captain Himura?"_

_Sayomi turned to see captain Ukitake behind her, smiling as he approached her._

"_Can I help you, Captain Ukitake?" she asked._

"_I noticed that you weren't given any specific orders, and was curious as to why you didn't point that out?"_

"_Well... I figure since I wasn't in the group dispatched to the site I would help guard Seireitei of course," she replied._

"_More like as soon as no one is paying attention you'll be going to the site yourself, right, Captain?" captain Kyoraku asked as he walked up beside his friend._

"_No," Sayomi denied a little too quickly._

"_Just be careful, Captain Himura, we should be going," Kyoraku said._

"_Good night," she said before turning and nearly colliding with Byakuya. "How long have you been there?"_

"_Long enough. It's your duty to guard Soul Society. Don't go running after a second rate captain and his lieutenant," he replied._

"_You really are an ass sometimes," Sayomi said, rolling her eyes as she stepped around the man and began to make her way back to her own division._

"_And you're stubborn, but I still agreed to marry you."_

"_Yeah, well that's your problem. I'm perfectly fine being stubborn. I would also like to point out that I never said that you being an ass was a problem, I was just stating a fact." She flashed a grin over her shoulder and was rewarded with a sigh and head shake from Byakuya._

"_Sometimes you talk too much," he said blandly, but his eyes were glinting mischievously _

"_I'm going back to my division, are you coming along?" she asked coyly._

"_In light of the current situation I will be going back to my own division and awaiting orders. Just as you should."_

"_Of course," Sayomi replied. "Be a good little girl, I know, I know. I'm going to go see if my lieutenant has showed up yet we need to have a bit of talk about her drinking habits. Then I'll hang around and wait for orders like the good little captain I am."_

"_Don't do anything rash, Sayomi," Byakuya replied as he turned to make his way back to his own division._

_She scoffed dismissively. "Of course not."_

_As Sayomi walked towards the wood building that served as the divisions offices she started to focus in on the five different reiatsu she could feel heading to Rukongai. She felt Shinji engage in a fight with something, but the reiatsu wasn't that of a hollow or a soul reaper. Focusing only on the reiatsu of the being Shinji was fighting as she walked up to her office door, she spaced out slightly and didn't notice the odd way Matsumoto looked at her as she walked in to the office, stopping just inside the door as her head cocked to the side._

"_Sayomi?" Matsumoto shouted as Sayomi's eyes widened and she doubled over, grabbing her stomach as if she had been hit, she was panting for breath as her hair fell forward and hid her face. _

"_That's impossible," she muttered, blinking in confusion._

"_Sayomi, are you alright?" Matsumoto asked urgently, resting a hand on her shoulder._

_Sayomi straightened up and nodded, her expression unusually serious and stern. "Stay here. No matter what happens, Matsumoto, stay here!" She ordered as she turned and disappeared in a swirl of white cloth._

_She focused on the reiatsu of the five people who had been sent to the camp site as well as Hiyori's, she tried to find others, but it seemed there was nothing she could get a clear reading on. She knew that she had felt Kensei's spiritual pressure, it was just a brief moment and it was mixed so densely with that of a Hollow she wasn't sure what to make of it. She flash stepped her way there all while trying to get a handle on the situation, by the flares in reiatsu everyone was fighting, hard. It was what they were fighting that she was having a difficult time understanding._

_When she saw the white of a tent ahead of her she slowed and walked around the tent to see that there were several bodies littering the ground, their blood staining the tent and the dirt._

"_Todo, Kasaki, Eishima!" She shouted as she ran to the body of a thin man with long reddish brown hair. _

_His eyes were open, frozen in a look of shock and he wasn't breathing. He had been stabbed several times and his body was drenched in his own crimson blood. _

"_Eishima, what happened?" She mumbled as she gently closed friend's eyes and kissed the fingers of her left hand before pressing them lightly against his forehead. _

_She stood up, ignoring the pressure of the pain she felt in response to her friends death as she looked around at the rest of the lifeless bodies. She had once been friends with every man that lay here. She had fought with them, trained with them, drank with them and they had all protected one another. Eishima was the closest thing she had to a best friend, they had always gotten along and usually were the two stuck calming Kensei down whenever the young Mashiro pissed him off, which was irritatingly often. He had been kind and gentle, and was always willing to offer advice or to spar if she needed to work off a little steam after a hard day._

_Her head turned to the right when she heard the metallic screech of swords clashing and the angry howl of a hollow. Without another glance back at her dead friends, she took off towards the sounds of fighting only to came to an abrupt halt at the sight that was before her._

_Rose was knocked out in a small crater in the hard ground, while Love and Lisa fought a large hollow that bore a striking resemblance to Kensei. Shinji was holding Hiyori while a small, thin hollow that looked a lot like Mashiro attacked him._

"_What the hell," she muttered._

"_Gochu tekkan."_

_Sayomi turned her head to see that Hachigen was using his kido to bind Mashiro, when the five pillars fell on the small girl and slammed her into the ground she stepped forward._

"_What's going on?" she shouted at Shinji._

"_What the hell are you doin' here, Sayomi?" he shouted back as Hachigen attempted to imprison Kensei as well._

"_That won't work," Sayomi shouted, leaping aside as Kensei crashed into the ground before her, a thick rope wrapped around him._

_She held her right hand out to her side and let her sword and sheath form in her hand, she had the sword drawn and the sheath tucked into her obi just as Kensei broke free of the rope that Hachigen had tried to bind him with. There was a loud angry howl as Kensei rose and stood up to face her._

"_Sayomi, get out of there," Love shouted at her._

"_I was his lieutenant. I fought him everyday for seven years and quite often before that, I know his weaknesses. Back off," she shot back as she stepped to her left and spun as Kensei tried to attack her head on._

_She side stepped him again and swung her sword out before her in a wide arc, trying to slash through his stomach that wasn't covered in the thick white armor of a hollow. She missed, but jumped above him to avoid the fist he threw at her. Using the momentum from her fall, Sayomi held her zanpakuto in both hands and crashed down on to Kensei's shoulder. A thin spray of red bloomed from the small cut she managed to inflict as she grunted and landed in a crouch behind him. He roared at the pain she had caused, flinging his limbs around himself wildly, Sayomi wasn't able to escape the arm that knocked into her ribs, sending her back several yards._

_Gasping at the pain of the three broken ribs she knew she had received she steadied herself and flew at Kensei again. They exchanged blows for several minutes, moving over the ground and through the air as they clashed violently enough to cause the earth to tremble. Attempting to slice Kensei's already wounded shoulder Sayomi flew towards him, but was instead thrown backwards as his armored hand connected with her stomach. She crashed into the ground coughing blood from the force of the impact and the broken ribs that had punctured her lungs. Her white haori was torn and dirty, her wrists and face were covered in scratches and bruises as she groaned and pushed herself up in time to see Lisa try to attack Kensei from above and behind. Her attack failed and she was thrown forcefully through the air when Kensei's huge arm struck her side._

"_Move," Sayomi ordered Love who was between her and Kensei, her voice barely more than a pant. "Now."_

_She stalked forward her eyes cold and her face set into an emotionless mask. Kensei howled and charged at her. Sayomi crouched slightly and positioned her zanpakuto before her, her left hand just behind the blunt edge. Just as she prepared to swing a blow she knew would have hit him, Rose started shouting at him._

"_Since when are you so weak, Kensei, that you would attack a woman?" He shouted._

_Sayomi growled and her eyes narrowed when Kensei changed course and headed towards the incapacitated Rose, she flashed away from her spot to intercept, but was forced to leap back as Hachigen cast another spell and Kensei was bolted to the ground by two, thick long strips of metal and several large bolts._

_Sayomi was panting freely now, and leaned over to catch her breath and to cough up more blood. She wiped at her chin with her hand to remove the blood that was running down her chin. Standing back up she looked at Shinji who still had Hiyori held in his left arm. She was torn up, but in no immediate danger._

"_What the hell is going on, Shinji?" Sayomi asked through her ragged breaths._

"_I don't know," he answered._

"_Sh-Shinji, put me down," Hiyori said as she started to cough violently._

_All eyes turned to Hiyori as, not blood, but a white liquid bloomed from her lips and started to cover her face. She swung an arm out at Shinji, causing a spray of crimson liquid to rain down on the ground from a long gash to his chest._

_Sayomi swung her head around when Rose started coughing from where he still lie on the ground. "Rose," she shouted as the same white substance erupted from his mouth._

_Love and Lisa ran towards her and Shinji, but before they got far both suddenly fell as someone stabbed them from behind._

"_Love, Lisa," Sayomi yelled as their bodies fell._

"_You," Shinji spat at the man that was now visible, he was dark skinned with dark hair and wore strange sunglasses and a face mask._

"_Tousen, you betrayed Kensei. Why?" Sayomi shouted at him as she tried to charge at him, only to be stopped when Shinji grabbed her arm._

"_Calm down."_

"_Actually he didn't betray anyone. He's really quite faithful," a smooth, arrogant voice said from behind them. "He just faithfully followed my orders."_

"_You," Shinji said icily as he turned to see his brown haired, glasses wearing lieutenant smiling at them. "Aizen and you."_

_Sayomi turned at that point and her eyes widened when she saw the grinning face of her elder brother beside Aizen's. "Gin," she hissed, her full attention was focused on him as he walked beside Aizen. "Traitor," she growled._

"_So it was you after all," Shinji said angrily._

"_You suspected?" Sayomi snapped at him. "How could you-"_

"_Now, Captain Himura, I believe he was speaking to me. Not that I'm surprised, Captain Hirako, but how long?" Aizen asked._

"_Since you were in your mother's womb," Shinji growled. "I knew you were dangerous, that you couldn't be trusted, that's why I chose you as my lieutenant."_

"_I thank you for that. Your deep seated doubts made you blind and you never suspected a thing," Aizen said._

"_I just told you I suspected-"_

"_You never noticed, did you? That this whole month it wasn't me walking behind you," Aizen asked._

_Shinji's eyes widened and Sayomi gasped._

"_The ability to make the enemy see whatever I want him to, that's the true power of my Kyoka Suigetsu. I prefer to call it absolute hypnosis. If you had interacted with me as other captains do with their lieutenants you may have noticed the subtle variations in my mannerisms and movements, but you didn't. The reason you are all here is because you didn't have a better understanding of me, you had no idea who I was or what I was capable of," Aizen explained. "Oh and another thing. You say you chose me, but it's really the other way around. I chose you. I could have declined the offer to be your lieutenant, but I didn't. Your suspicions and vigilance were perfect for my plans, perhaps you should apologize to your friends for choosing me. If you hadn't, they wouldn't be here about to die."_

"_Aizen," Shinji growled angrily as he prepared to draw his zanpakuto. Instead of drawing his zanpakuto though, he doubled over and began to cough._

"_Shinji," Sayomi cried and ran towards him only to stop when she saw the white substance pouring from his mouth. "What did you do?" She yelled at Aizen as she drew her zanpakuto._

"_Thank you for rising to my little provocation. It seems to speed the hollowfication process," Aizen said thoughtfully._

"_Hollowfication... What are you talking about?" Sayomi asked uneasily._

"_I'm a little surprised you haven't succumbed to it yet, but then you were always good at keeping your cool despite how temperamental everyone though you were. I'm sorry to say this, Sayomi, I always admired your beauty and Gin has a soft spot for you, but-"_

"_Do we really have ta kill her?" Gin asked a hint of disappointment in his tone._

"_I'm afraid-"_

"_The one dying here isn't going to be me," Sayomi growled coldly as she charged at her brother._

_Gin leapt aside, drawing his own zanpakuto in defense. He did nothing, but block the hits she threw at him, and well, which surprised her. She was a captain, he was only the third seat of the Fifth division at the moment. Growling angrily, she managed to leap away from the extended blade of his zanpakuto and slice his right arm open, he dropped his sword and backed up as Sayomi advanced angrily on him._

"_Now, lil sis, just calm down. I never meant for you to get involved," he said defensively, holding his hands up innocently and smiling._

_She cried out angrily and moved to attack, but before she took a single step she ground her teeth together as a sword pierced through her right shoulder, she fell to her knees coughing up a mix of blood and the same white material that was now trying to engulf the faces and bodies of all but the three traitors. She didn't know when it had happened, but even Hachigen had been injured and a white mask was forming over his face as well._

_As she coughed and hacked a shadow fell over her. She looked up defiantly, a steely glint in her ice blue eyes, to see that Aizen and Gin were looking down at her. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she struggled to keep her vision in focus, she cried out in desperation and flung her sword out before her trying to kill the men who were responsible for the horrible scene around her. She missed Aizen, but sliced through Gin's stomach, not deep enough to cause any permanent damage, it was more like a scratch that would heal without treatment. She screamed again as she fell forward, tears pouring from her eyes as she thought of the wedding that was supposed to have been in only a few months, of the children she had wanted, the life she had envisioned for herself, it all shattered painfully before her eyes._

"_Kaname, Gin," Aizen said._

"_Right," Kaname answered._

_She heard Gin sigh, but draw his sword. "Sorry 'bout this, but it's for the best."_

_She waited for the blow, she no longer had the strength or will to dodge it, but it never came. She blinked her weary eyes open to see that Kisuke and Tessai were there, what happened after that she didn't know, she blacked out and wouldn't come to for nearly a week._

* * *

><p>Sayomi sighed as she let memory fade away and shook her head in an attempt to clear away the little wisps that didn't seem to want to budge from her mind. Closing her eyes again, she curled up against Fuyukaze and stared down at her hands that were in her lap, her knees were resting on Fuyukaze's dark blue covered leg. She wiggled her fingers slowly, watching the way they moved before sighing and snuggling closer to the person she considered to be her only friend.<p>

"Does it bother you, Fuyu?" She questioned.

"_Does what bother me, Sayomi-sama_?"

"This? You're always the one I turn to. You comfort me and you're always taking care of me. Do you ever think you should have chosen someone stronger?"

Light chuckles floated around the room, making Sayomi frown as she glanced up at the man who merely smiled at her. "_You're a very silly child sometimes_."

"I am not a child," she objected stubbornly.

"_Hmm, but you're so small_."

"Fuyukaze, I was being serious," she complained, pushing away from him to bring her knees to her chest and wrap her arms around herself.

"_I know you were, but it's not like you to ask such questions. What did I tell you the first time I brought you to this world_?" He put his arm around Sayomi again and pulled her back to him, she stubbornly remained the way she was sitting and refused to lean on him. He shook his head, his white hair making a soft swishing noise. "_I told you that I would always be by your side and I would always help you, did I not_?"

Sayomi nodded."You did."

"_Do you think I lied_?"

"No, but I'm more of a burden-"

"_You are not a burden, my little hime, you never have been_," Fuyukaze cut in.

She didn't reply, but after a few seconds she relaxed against Fuyukaze and curled up against him once again. A pleased smile crossed her face as he wrapped his arm around her tighter to help shield her from the cold that seeped into the cave and wasn't dispelled by the fire.

"Thank you, Fuyukaze, for always putting up with me. I know I'm not always easy to deal with."

"_No, you're not, but that's part of your charm_."

"That's what Gin used to say, not about me being stubborn necessarily though. I've always been a little stubborn."

"_A little_?"

Sayomi smiled, elbowing Fuyukaze in the side playfully. "It's different when you're a small child. Shut up," she snapped when Fuyukaze snickered. "It's always been annoying to me, to be literally looked down upon and to have to look up to everyone else. I would get so angry and Gin would always put a hand on my head and grin down at me as he ruffled my hair while telling me that being short was part of my charm."

"_You miss him don't you_?"

"I miss who he was. He isn't my big brother anymore, the one who promised to always take care of me. He was going to kill me and he betrayed Soul Society and for what exactly? Power? It's just not like him, not like the brother I knew. He's a monster that looks like him," Sayomi replied sadly.

"_And what of little Byakuya-sama, why has he been on your mind so much recently_?"

"He's hardly little anymore," Sayomi snorted when she recalled their brief meeting in the streets of Karakura town. He had changed so much, he was taller and more refined than she remembered him being. His form was still thin, but he had grown into a man, he was no longer the same person, the same young man that was barely out of his teens when he took over as captain of the Sixth division. "I don't really know why I've been thinking of him so much, I guess I'm curious as to who he married and how he's been all these years. Maybe a little worried about what he'll think when everyone learns that I've joined up with Aizen. It was bad enough hearing him tell me so cruelly to return to the dead. If he actually wants me dead and knowing him, he will, I don't know if I could really handle that. Regardless of the circumstances now, I loved him and don't want to have to cross swords with him, or any soul reaper for that matter. I may not have a choice though. I chose this path so I'll have to deal with the repercussions of my decisions when they come and I know they will."

"_And what about Kensei_?"

"What about him? I've betrayed him, he'll hate me for it. He said himself that if I ever betrayed them he would never forgive me."

"_Does that bother you_?"

"Of course it does," she answered. "We've known each other a long time and we've been through a lot together. While he may never forgive me, he won't kill me. He knows why I'm doing this, why I'm here. I find a little bit of comfort in that, as selfish as it is... Anyways," she said, yawning widely and rubbing at her tired eyes. "Kensei told me he wouldn't forgive me if I betrayed them. Byakuya on the other hand thought I was dead, now he's going to hear I'm a traitor and an abomination. If our paths cross before I accomplish what I came here to do I don't know if I'll be able to have my revenge."

"_You have always cared about what those two thought. I wonder what you would do if they both forgave you for the wrongs you believe you've done,_" Fuyukaze said quietly as Sayomi nodded off to sleep against him.

* * *

><p>~AN~

Ok, well another chapter down and a little bit of Byakuya action in this one. There will be more, promise. :)

Thank you to all my lovely and awesome readers and reviewers.

Please feed the monster. Thank you!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer- Blahblahblah, don't own Bleach.

**Chapter 17**

**A Fool's Dream**

Sayomi's heels clicked quietly against the marble floors as she gracefully stalked through the pristine white halls of Las Noches. One week had past since she had arrived and so far nothing of any real import had happened. She had made plenty of enemies and very few friends in the short time span, but for the most part she was left to her own devices and not bothered by any of the Arrancar. She had visited Orihime on an almost daily basis which had quickly made her and Ulquiorra real enemies. The man was coldhearted and about as movable as a mountain. He treated Orihime like an insect that had to be kept alive only to later be fed upon. It angered Sayomi and she had no problem saying just what she thought of the black haired Arrancar. She would then usually end up being scolded by Aizen or on two occasions her brother though his scoldings were little more than chuckles and a shake of his head as he told her that the mopey kid was stronger than he looked and she should be careful.

Orihime herself was quiet and withdrawn. She had resigned herself to her fate to help Aizen without question because of her feelings of inadequacy. She felt she was too weak and only burdened Ichigo and the others. Their lives had been threatened which was why she had come willingly, but Sayomi knew that she also felt she could somehow use her ability to revert the Hogyoku to nothing more than a useless stone and make all of the fighting stop.

It was an overly optimistic hope, but it kept the girl going. Sayomi figured that if she could guess what Orihime was thinking then Aizen likely had as well, but he wasn't doing anything to stop this train of thought. Instead, he had shown Orihime the very thing itself, led her right to it. Orihime had thought it was some sort of taunt, a "look at what I have" sort of thing, but Sayomi knew better. If Aizen knew what Orihime was thinking of doing, if he willingly showed her the Hogyoku, it meant one thing. That what she was planning wouldn't work the way she hoped and would ultimately benefit Him. Sayomi hadn't voiced this opinion yet, but the defiant tint to the girl's once bright eyes was the only sign that she was still alive and hadn't given up. She didn't want to take that away from her.

Not once had Orihime questioned Sayomi about why she was also in Hueco Muendo. The red head had made a comment to her once, while she had been playing with Wonderweiss, a young, newly awakened Arrancar that had taken a liking to her. Sayomi had been making little flurries of snowflakes swirl around the boy, who despite his teenage appearance, was very childlike in nature. The blond boy would try to catch the snowflakes on his tongue or try to grasp them out of the air only to look into his hands with a frown to see they had already melted. Orihime had watched silently from the couch.

"You have the same look in your eyes that Ichigo gets sometimes. That look that he always gets when he thinks he's doing what's best for everyone. He's so stubborn sometimes," she had said.

Sayomi had blinked in confusion, letting the flurries of snow stop abruptly as she turned to look curiously at Orihime. Before she could respond or ask what she had meant Wonderweiss, who had been jumping around to get the snow, suddenly landed in her lap having fallen over when the snow had disappeared. She let out an 'umph' and looked down at the young boy sprawled across her and the floor before sighing and shaking her head as she patted his head.

"I'm pretty stubborn too," had been her reply as she had left with Wonderweiss.

Shaking of her thoughts, Sayomi nonchalantly pushed the doors that led into the outer chamber of Grimmjow and his fraccion's rooms open. Walked through the room she grinned tauntingly at the few Arrancar there. By now they knew better than to stop her, but they glared hatefully at her as she walked knowing that they'd hear about their idiocy later. Tossing open another set of doors, that she made sure closed behind her, she walked to the large messy bed in the center of the room, grabbed a handful of white sheets and pulled them from Grimmjow's sleeping body.

"Get up, kitten, I'm bored," she said blandly as the sheets fell to the floor.

"Like I give a shit," he grumbled as he pulled a fluffy pillow over his head and rolled on to his side.

Sayomi quirked a brow at him, he was shirtless and in the usual white hakama that were sitting precariously low on his very toned waist.

"Entertain me," she said as she sat down on the edge of the bed, making sure that the whole bed jolted as she did so.

"It's too early for your crap. Go away," Grimmjow growled.

"But I like bugging you. It's my only source of entertainment."

Sayomi squeaked when she was grabbed from behind, a strong arm wrapping around her hips to lift her up before dropping her on to the bed on her back. She glared up at Grimmjow, who was know straddling her waist and had managed to pin her arms above her head.

"I can think of a few ways to entertain you," he taunted with a grin.

"And I can think of quite a few to kill you," she replied sweetly with an innocent smile.

"Like you could," he snorted.

"Try me."

"I'd love to."

"Pervert," Sayomi grumbled as she turned her head away stubbornly.

"Thought you were going to kill me?" Grimmjow said as he leaned over her, their chests pressing together as he whispered in her ear before flicking his tongue lightly over her neck.

A growl rumbled in Sayomi's chest as she fought back the shiver that threatened to run down her spine. The next thing he did was to nip at ear and then at the overly sensitive spot at the curve of her neck. She couldn't hold back the soft gasp that escaped her lips as he bit her again in the same spot.

"Enjoying yourself?" he breathed in her ear.

Sayomi growled again, pushing against Grimmjow and forcing him off of her body. When he flopped onto his back, grinning at her arrogantly, she smirked and quickly pinned him down in the same position he had had her in.

"Maybe I've changed my mind," she purred, running a finger from his navel to his chest, slowly leaning closer to him in the process.

Her hair fell over her shoulders as she kissed the base of his neck, flickering her tongue over the skin before trailing kisses up his neck to his ear. Bringing her hands to either side of his chest she raked her nails over the skin, not enough to hurt or leave much of a mark, but she smirked against his skin when his head tilted back slightly and a groan escaped his lips. Placing her lips next to his ear she softly whispered, "You may never have met a woman you couldn't get, but that was before I came along. Now you've met one you can't get _and_ she can play the same games as you."

Grimmjow growled when Sayomi met his eyes with an arrogant grin and hopped off of him and the bed.

"What the hell," Grimmjow shouted.

"What?" Sayomi asked innocently as she straightened her clothes casually.

"You were playing with me."

"Like you weren't playing with me?" She shot back blandly. "Women are nothing but things you use to pass the time. I am not that kind of woman. You want me? Then seduce me," she said with a seductive smirk of her own and a wink as she turned to leave.

"Stupid bitch," Grimmjow grumbled before throwing himself back into his pillows.

'_Seduce you_?' Fuyukaze asked incredulously.

'What? You don't approve, Fuyu?'

'_No, I don't_.'

'Well don't worry about it. I don't plan on being seduced.'

'_Good, he doesn't deserve you. Even if you two do have a lot in common_,' Fuyukaze added airily.

Sayomi scowled. 'Fuyu,' she growled.

'_Are you trying to deny that you can be arrogant, self centered, stubborn, ru_-'

'That's enough out of you, you flamboyant jerk,' Sayomi snapped.

'_Still don't like hearing the truth_,' Fuyukaze sighed.

'You seem awfully moody, Fuyukaze, is there a reason?'

'_You mean aside from being stuck in Hueco Muendo with nothing to do even though there are plenty of Hollows around_?'

'Was that sarcasm, Fuyu? How rare for you to display such a childish emotion,' Sayomi replied.

'_Sayomi-sama, you're being difficult again_,' Fuyukaze complained shortly.

'Usually. Anyways, it is fairly boring here. I'm actually starting to miss the living world. I didn't think that was possible.'

Her inner conversation stopped abruptly when she pushed the door to her rooms open only to see Ulquiorra standing in the living area, his face as stonily blank as usual though she thought there was a hint of annoyance in his green eyes when he looked at her.

"Where were you?" He asked.

"What business is it of yours?" She countered coolly.

The pale man eyed her for a moment before continuing. You're to come with me," he informed her, moving past her and into the hall.

It was obvious he expected her to follow, but she didn't, she stayed where she was and watched his back until he stopped and turned to look at her again. "And just where am I going?"

"To Aizen-sama, he's called all of the Espada together and you're to meet them."

She hoped her slight cringe went unnoticed, but she doubted it. The idea of meeting with a room full of very powerful Arrancar who hadn't made their dislike of her appearance among them a secret, didn't sound like a particularly fun activity. "Well, if it's for Aizen-sama I suppose we shouldn't keep him waiting," she replied as she began to walk behind Ulquiorra.

* * *

><p>"You want me to do what?" Sayomi asked Aizen skeptically, a thin snow white brow arching upwards.<p>

She was gathered in a meeting room with the ten Espada, Aizen, Gin and Tousen. She had been sitting on the arm of Grimmjow's chair, one of her feet on the table and her other crossed over it in a way that looked awkward, but was actually quite comfortable. The blue haired Espada was scowling at her, ignoring most of what Aizen said.

"I think you heard me perfectly well, Sayomi. You need to prove to us that we can trust you," Aizen replied smoothly.

Sayomi lifted a white brow, but otherwise remained impassive. "And why should I care whether or not they trust me?"

"As stubborn as ever," Aizen replied with a small smirk.

"What did you expect? What you're asking me to do is insane. There are several high ranking soul reapers in Karakura right now, how am I supposed to deal with them?"

"You won't have to because you won't be going alone. Grimmjow and a few others will accompany you to keep them busy while you deal with Urahara," Aizen replied.

"Fine, but I still don't like this. I don't have a quarrel with that idiot, but at least it should be fun to kick his ass. As long as he doesn't run away first. He's always been good at that," Sayomi stated crossly.

"Good, you're all dismissed. Grimmjow, Sayomi choose two others to go with you and leave immediately," Aizen ordered as he rose regally from his seat.

Sayomi nodded and looked to Grimmjow with a smile, Grimmjow grunted, rolled his eyes and elbowed Sayomi off the arm of his chair.

"So grouchy, little kitten, did you not sleep well?" Sayomi asked sweetly, a small innocent smile on her lips and a devious glint in her eyes.

Grimmjow growled at her as he shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked past her.

"You two spend quite a bit of time together, Sayomi, I hope Grimmjow is behaving."

Sayomi scowled, her lip twitching at the sound of the voice. She smoothed her face and turned to face Aizen with a smile.

"He's a perfect gentleman."

"Now that don't sound a thing like our lil Grimmy," Gin said from Aizen's left.

"You're right, Gin, it doesn't. Maybe Sayomi here has finally taught him some manners," Aizen replied with a small smile.

Sayomi snorted to cover the small shiver the smile elicited. "I could sooner teach a dog to fly than teach that egomaniac manners."

"When you have returned I'd like to speak with you. Privately," Aizen informed her, watching her closely.

"Of course," she complied easily, but she hadn't failed to notice that Gin had cocked his head slightly and his grin had wavered for an instant.

"I should let you prepare to go. Be careful."

"Later, little sis," Gin piped up as he turned to follow Aizen and Kaname from the room.

'I don't like this, Fuyukaze,' Sayomi said in her mind to the man that she could feel openly frowning.

'_I don't either. At least you weren't ordered to kill him_.'

'While that's true, that's also what bothers me. Why only figure out what he's doing? Soul Society would find out and alter their plans, meaning what I find would be useless. I'm not sure, but I think he wants Soul Society to know I'm alive and well and on his side, he wants the home and the people I cared so much about to know I'm a traitor. He's basically putting my head on a chopping block... Hopefully, no one actually cuts it off.'

'_.. Your game is getting riskier, little one,_' Fuyukaze said, his voice sighing through her mind much as a chill breeze would twist through a forest just before a storm.

Looking down at her hands she flexed her fingers a few times before curling them into fists. 'If I'm a traitor to both places I have ever called home, where will I go? If no one will accept me but him, I will have no choice but to stay here. He's trying to trap me here.'

'_This is proving to be more than you bargained for_,' Fuyukaze said grimly.

"Yes, it is," Sayomi quietly said aloud, before reverting back to thinking. 'I hadn't bargained on Aizen wanting me for anything more than a useful soldier, an example of the power he's able to create. It's a little late to do anything about that now though, I started this game and for the time being I have no choice but to play it even if the rules are changing.' Frowning, she made her way out of the room to find Grimmjow and two male Arrancar she had seen but never bothered to speak with waiting for her. "Ready?" She asked, ignoring both of the Arrancar beside him, they didn't seem to mind.

"What do you think?" Grimmjow sneered.

"Good, lets go."

* * *

><p>"It's been a week since they've taken both Sayomi and that human girl. They haven't made a single move since then... What should we do?" Lisa asked.<p>

All of the eight remaining Vizard were gathered in the space that was used as a living room, they all looked a bit more serious than usual and the air was tense.

"What can we do? We have to wait, we don't have much choice," Love replied.

"Who said we had to do anything?" Kensei snorted.

"What's been with you, Kensei? You don't seem ta care that yer little princess is gone," Hiyori observed.

"I'm not as naïve as the rest of you," he retorted.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean you over sized jerk?" Hiyori shouted.

"Quiet down, Hiyori," Shinji groaned, twisting a finger in his ear as he grimaced. "He means what we're all thinking, but won't say."

"And just what is that?" Kensei asked.

"That Sayomi wanted to go."

Everyone went quiet, it had been something they had all thought of as a possibility. It was no secret that she wanted to kill her brother. Combined with her actions over the past several weeks and the fact that she was in the complete opposite direction of the store at the time the Arrancar had invaded did little to help anyone think otherwise. The only thing that made them question whether it had been her intention or not was the way Shinji described her confrontation with the one Arrancar who had wounded her. He had said she had been taken completely by surprise, the look on her face had been real and not an act.

"So what do we do?" Love asked soberly.

"Leave it alone," Kensei said brusquely. "There's no doubt in my mind that she had this planned."

"Even so, did she plan only on being taken there or does she plan on joining with Aizen," Rose questioned.

"We'll find out soon enough," Shinji replied seconds before several strong spirit energies entered the area, pressing down against them enough to make them gasp in surprise and adjusting their own reiatsu accordingly.

* * *

><p>"Remember why you're here," Sayomi turned to say to the three men who were standing behind her as they exited the blackness that made up the Garganta and stepped into the clear bright blue sky above Karakura town. Under normal circumstances she would be seen in such an inconspicuous place, but Aizen had asked one of the Espada, Szayel Aporro Grantz, the resident pink haired oddball scientist in Hueco Muendo, to make a bracelet for her to wear that would make her invisible to all but Soul Reapers and any type of Hollow. The bracelet was just a plain silver bangle that was currently on her left wrist, dangling there as she focused on Grimmjow and ignored the other two nameless Arrancar behind him.<p>

"What the fuck are ya lookin' at me for?" He grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning back to stare back at her insolently.

"You're the one who likes to go off on your own and it ends up causing more trouble than necessary. Remember that while you're here you're here to provide me with an opportunity to get the candy idiot to tell me what he's up to. I can't do my job if you don't do yours and keep the few Soul Reapers and various other people who might interfere away from me. Now," Sayomi said, sticking her right arm out to her side. "Breathe, Fuyukaze. With that being said," she continued as the decorative blue sheath of Fuyukaze formed in her hand and a sharp, cold wind stirred around her. "We should start with the three behind me, just don't kill them please."

"What three be-"

Grimmjow never finished his question when Sayomi unsheathed Fuyukaze in a swift, fluid movement, pivoting on her heel to block the blade of Hiyori's sword from trying to take her head off. She pushed the small blond away from her easily, sending her skidding through the air. She stopped a few feet in front of Shinji and Kensei who were eying the four white clad people carefully, and quite angrily in Kensei's case.

"What did I tell you?" Kensei growled as he narrowed his eyes at Sayomi in her white uniform. "She's with them now. The kidnapping was a fake."

"Yeah, yeah," Shinji sighed, adjusting the gray cap on his blond head. "But I still think there's more to this than that."

"Who the hell are these freaks?" Grimmjow asked, stepping up behind Sayomi, his eyes glinting almost happily at the idea of a fight.

"Old friends," Sayomi replied monotonously. "So do me a favor and don't kill them."

Grimmjow smirked, leaning down to put his mouth by Sayomi's ear. "And what do I get in return?"

With a twitch, her eyes narrowed. Sayomi turned her head just enough to glare at Grimmjow. "Fine, you can kill the girl, but the other two stay alive, got it?"

"Throw in a kiss and you have a deal," he answered, his smirk growing at the annoyance that was plain in Sayomi's icy eyes.

Sayomi shrugged nonchalantly after a moment. "Sure." Turning her attention back to the three people in front of her she said, "Well, it was nice of you to come and say hello, but I have an appointment with someone. So if you'll excuse me I'll leave you to play with Kitten here and his little friends."

"Would you stop calling me that?" Grimmjow snapped.

"No, it's cute. Plus it wasn't part of the deal," Sayomi replied with a wicked wink.

"Stop ignoring us like we ain't even here," Hiyori shouted as she charged at them.

"Have fun, kitten," Sayomi sang, winking at Grimmjow when he growled and raised his hand as if to hit her before flashing off towards Urahara's. She let a low growl slip through her throat as she took a glance over her shoulder to see that Kensei was following her. She figured Shinji and Hiyori were keeping her three escorts busy, but she didn't think it would take long before they retreated. They couldn't risk drawing too much attention to themselves and at the moment Ichigo and two other Soul Reapers were headed towards the fight. She easily recognized Rangiku's spirit energy and the one with her was vaguely familiar, it took her a moment, but she pegged the reiatsu as belonging to the white haired boy that had been with Rangiku when she had seen her at the school. "Dammit," she cursed, landing on a nearby building and coming to a halt.

The sounds of Kensei's heavy black combat boots hitting the concrete of the roof was carried on the wind like an ominous clap of thunder. He stood facing Sayomi's barely clothed back as she stared vacantly off into the distance, her snow white hair dancing behind her in the light breeze that was sweeping over the roof.

"It means so much to you to kill your brother that you would betray the people who care about you and would have done anything to help you?" He asked calmly.

"I didn't want to betray anyone, Kensei, but I didn't have many options. In order to accomplish my goal I needed to be where he was, and now I am," she replied, still facing away from him.

"Why are you here?"

"I need to talk with Urahara," she answered shortly.

"Why?"

"Because I was ordered to."

"So you take orders from Aizen now?" Kensei growled.

"I don't have much choice if I want to gain their trust, do I?"

"And just how far are you willing to go to do that, Sayomi?"

She turned to face him, her expression was controlled, calm, but there was a sadness in her eyes that took her a moment longer to school into blank pools. "As far as I have to. Aizen is not to be taken lightly, but if I can get his trust I can end this and there won't have to be a war or needless bloodshed. I don't expect you to ever forgive me, but at least understand that I am doing what I feel is right."

"You always feel that what you're doing is right, you're a woman for crying out loud," he snapped testily. "This time though, you're wrong, Sayomi. Helping the ones who betrayed us, the ones who were responsible for what happened to us a hundred years ago just to get your revenge, is not right. We were your friends, Sayomi, your only friends and you betrayed us. How does it feel to know you have no one left?"

"It actually makes me feel a lot better knowing that," she replied softly, turning around and pointing a finger at him. "Makes it easier to do this, bakudo nine, Geki." There was a blinding flash of red light that engulfed Kensei making him unable to move from his spot. "For what it's worth I don't plan on being a problem to you all for long."

Kensei growled at her, he couldn't even move to try and struggle, he was completely paralyzed as he watched her turn and flash step away.

She made it to the Urahara Shoten quickly and wasn't surprised to see the blond shopkeeper leaning against the wall of his shop. His hat was covering his eyes and his arms were folded over his chest. It was easy to see that he was in a serious mood as he pushed himself away from the wall without a word and walked into the shop, leaving the door open behind him. Casting a quick glance around herself Sayomi flashed after the blond. She found him sitting at his round table, a cup of steaming hot tea in front of him and another on the opposite side of the table. Taking the seat opposite Urahara and setting Fuyukaze in her lap, her hands folded primly over the sheath, she raised her blue eyes to look at Urahara. His eyes were shadowed by his hat, his hands were folded in his lap and at first glance it would almost appear as if the man were meditating.

"I take it you know why I'm here?" Sayomi asked coolly.

"I have an idea, but I never thought you of all people would willingly go to Aizen's side."

"We do what we must."

"Yes, we do, don't we," he replied with a faint smile. "It's strange though, sending you to find out what I'm up to. You already have an idea, don't you? You knew the night that Ichigo and the others came back that I was given orders from Soul Society."

"You're right. I have an idea, but I figured Aizen doesn't need to know that. As for sending me here, it makes perfect sense and I'm sure you know why."

"Aizen has always had a strange fascination with you, you just never seemed to notice. You were quite taken with Byakuya long before he met you after all. By sending you to do some dirty work for him, he's ensuring that you are not only trustworthy, but that your status as a traitor to Soul Society is noticed as well as the fact that you are still alive. You're putting yourself into a tight corner, Sayomi, that's a little unlike you. You usually think things through so well."

"It seems I failed to take into account that Aizen is a creepy, manipulative bastard," she retorted. "But that's what I figured too, it's just hard to tell with that man. I'm being trapped in a game I started, I'm not too happy about that, but I'll have to deal with it. I need to earn his trust and to do that I need you to spill what you know willingly or I'll have to force it out of you."

He sighed, taking a sip of his tea before standing from the table. "In that case, lets go downstairs. Shall we?"

"With pleasure. I've always wanted to kick your ass, but you always managed to get out of sparring with me," Sayomi replied with a dark smile.

Chuckling, Urahara led her to the trap door that led to the underground room. "Well, you can be quite scary sometimes. Can you blame me?"

Sayomi opened her mouth to reply, but cocked her head to the side as if listening for something. "Looks like you got lucky, Kisuke."

"Huh?" He grunted in confusion, blinking at her back and rubbing at his head.

She strapped Fuyukaze to her back, the hilt over her left shoulder, before taking off from the shop and leaving a few snowflakes drifting idly in her wake. When she reappeared she was crouched in the sky, Fuyukaze gripped in both hands and held above her head, blocking a blow from Grimmjow's sword that would have landed on a wounded, but still quite feisty busty woman wearing a very familiar pink scarf. A quick glance around was enough for her to get a handle on the situation. The two other Arrancar were fighting with the short white haired boy who, judging by the haori he wore, was the captain of the Tenth Division. Ichigo was just a little to the right, it appeared that he had been fighting Grimmjow and he was pretty torn up at the moment. She figured that Rangiku must have stepped in to try and help him.

"What the hell?" Grimmjow growled angrily at her.

"What did I say about killing?" Sayomi asked coldly, locking her light blue eyes with Grimmjow's darker ones. "I said, not to do it, right?"

"Only about the other two," he grumbled, scratching his head and looking away. "And they all took off before these ones showed up."

"S-Sayomi?" The red head that she had just protected stuttered out in confusion.

Sighing, Sayomi turned her head to face the woman. "It's been awhile, Rangiku. Hey, Ichigo," she said as she glanced at the orange haired teen that was staring up at her with wide, confused amber eyes.

"Why are you... What the hell is going on, Sayomi?" Ichigo shouted angrily, his eyes narrowing and his fist tightening its loose grasp on the hilt of his zanpakuto.

"That's enough," Sayomi demanded over her shoulder, directing her comment to the two Arrancar fighting the captain.

When they stopped and joined her and Grimmjow the white haired captain blinked at her. "Who are you?" He asked, his voice demanding that she answer.

She ignored him entirely "We're leaving," she said to Grimmjow, sheathing her zanpakuto as she turned her back to the surprised Rangiku, and completely ignoring the disgruntled glare she was getting from the captain.

"Did you get what we came here for?" Grimmjow asked.

Sayomi shot him an annoyed glare before shaking her head and looking away. "No."

"Then what the-"

"I said we're going," Sayomi repeated forcefully, she had been a captain once and she knew how to get people to listen to her commands. This was no exception, she shot Grimmjow a challenging look, but he clenched his teeth while shoving his hands in his pockets and looking away.

"Sayomi, I thought you were dead... What happened to you? Why are you helping them?" Rangiku questioned, confused and unsettled.

Sayomi turned back around and offered an apologetic smile. "It's a long story, Rangiku, but I'll tell you this much; Soul Society betrayed me before I ever betrayed them."

"Wait! What the hell is going on! You were taken by them! How come you're helping them? And where is Orihime?" Ichigo demanded taking several steps towards Sayomi.

"Orihime is fine. As long as she is useful Aizen won't harm her, but I have no reason to answer any of your other questions," Sayomi replied blandly. "My business in Hueco Muendo doesn't concern you, so it's best if you just stay out of my way and behave like a good little Soul Reaper."

Balling his hands into fists at his sides, Ichigo ran forward in an attempt to grab Sayomi's arm. He didn't get far when his hand was caught in Grimmjow's fist and he was sent reeling backward as a fist connected with his cheek.

"I could have handled that," Sayomi pointed out stubbornly.

"You're welcome," Grimmjow grunted.

"We're leaving, now," she said forcefully.

"Yeah, yeah, stop your bitching," he muttered, raising a hand to slice through the air in front of the four of their group.

* * *

><p>"Back so soon?" Aizen inquired airily as Sayomi was led into a large white room.<p>

The room was bare except for the large couch in its center that faced the wide, open balcony that looked over the continuous night that shrouded Hueco Muendo in a never ending darkness.

"Yes, I wasn't able to get the information you had asked for, I got a little sidetracked. I know Urahara was asked to do something, but I don't know what," Sayomi replied, standing before the single couch that Aizen was sitting on.

"So you failed? I had expected as much."

"You didn't believe I was capable of such a simple task? What a rude thing to say," Sayomi said blandly, tweaking a brow up in offense and crossing her arms arrogantly over her chest.

"That's not what I meant at all, Sayomi. I didn't expect you to accomplish your task because you lied to me, didn't you?" He asked smoothly, a smirk pulling the right side of his lips upward.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, trying a lot harder than she would have thought just to keep from shivering at the look she was receiving and keeping her face blank.

"Why don't you have seat?" Aizen offered, smiling a deviously warm smile while patting the spot right beside him.

"I'd rather stand."

Aizen chuckled. "You don't trust me. That hurts my feelings, but that's alright. I don't trust you either."

It took a lot of effort to not shift her eyes from Aizen's challenging and dark stare, there was something predatory in those brown eyes as they stared at her and it unnerved her. "I haven't earned your trust yet, so I don't expect you to trust me. Is there someway to make up for my failure?"

"Determined little thing, aren't you? Why are you trying so hard to win my trust, you want to kill your brother and you've had plenty of opportunities, so why haven't you taken any of them?"

She could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she silently cursed herself for having under estimated the man that was smirking at her like a rabid wolf. Forcing a laugh, she smiled lopsidedly. "If you knew that I lied and was only here to try and kill my dear big brother, then why go through the trouble of testing me and letting me wander around here freely?"

"What do you think is happening in Soul Society right now?" He asked.

"I don't know and I can't say I really care."

"You should care since it's highly likely that the order for your capture is being given to the remaining captains."

Aizen raised a brow when Sayomi openly laughed at his statement. "I'm afraid I'm not as optimistic as you are, I doubt that I'll be wanted alive as _captured_ implies. It's more likely that my death sentence is being handed down and I also know that there will be one captain who will take it upon himself to be the deliverer of that sentence."

"It seems your list of allies is growing thin, Sayomi," Aizen commented.

"Which is exactly what you wanted, I just don't know why."

"See, this is why I like you, you're smart. I do have a question though, if you knew that sending you to the living world was a trap, why go?"

"You asked me to," she replied simply. "I would have been disobeying direct orders if I hadn't."

"But your allegiance doesn't lie with me," Aizen stated.

"Does it matter where my allegiance lies? I have nowhere to go, I have betrayed everyone who ever cared about me and I am an enemy to the only place I have ever considered to be my home. If I hadn't done as you had asked it would have caused me too much trouble. I came here knowing full well what it meant when I did so. I may not share the same goals as you, but what choice do I have but to obey you while I'm here. Especially now that I don't have any place to go, but here. If I leave I'll be killed by either the Soul Reapers I have detested for so long, or by the people who I betrayed to come here."

"Nicely said, but you haven't betrayed everyone who cares about you. You still have Gin and myself, ah, but you want to kill your brother I almost forgot. If you do that, what will you do then?"

She didn't answer, she didn't have an answer to give, she had no idea what she was going to do after carrying out her goal of killing Gin. She turned to gaze out over the many white sand dunes that reflected the moon's bright glow, it was like looking at some alien land as she looked over the vast nothingness that made up Hueco Muendo. Her eyes widened when icy fingertips were placed on her chin, moving her head so that she was facing Aizen as he stood over her. The predatory look was in his eyes again as he stared at her as if he were waiting to devour his next meal. She tried to step back, but winced when the the hand the fingers belonged to clamped down on to her flesh.

"You could always stay here, I would be more than willing to have you by my side. You could be my queen," Aizen suggested.

"I'm not naïve enough to think that you would allow me to sit by your side as a queen. I would be nothing but your entertainment and I'm not interested in being treated like a brainless whore," Sayomi replied defiantly, she was struggling to keep her breathing normal as her eyes stayed focused on Aizen's hungry brown orbs. The coldness radiating from him, the hate as well as the sheer power was intimidating even for Sayomi who was counted as one of the strongest captains during her time as the Tenth Division's captain.

"And if I told you I had no use for a whore, that I'm looking for something more than that? Like a woman who is capable of bearing me a strong child."

"I wouldn't believe you. You don't strike me as the type of man that cares about others and their feelings. You care for yourself and your goals, and that's it. I'm not interested in anything you have to offer me." She had no idea how it was that she was still on her feet, part of her figured it had to be because of the fingers that were bruising her white skin as Aizen's grip tightened painfully on her jaw. There was a flare in his reiatsu that made Sayomi gasp in surprise as she raised her own to counter the effects and lessen the pressure that was bearing down on her like an ocean.

"I see," he said coldly, releasing her from his hold, the reiatsu fading. "I want a queen, Sayomi and I will have one. You may go."

Swallowing and bobbing her head, she turned and walked to the door. She wanted to run, but didn't want to give the brown eyes watching her the satisfaction of seeing that she was shaken at all. Even once she was out the door she kept her pace controlled, her steps even, but her eyes stared blankly at the mirror-like surface of the floors. It was one of the times she was grateful to the training she had undergone as a child in a noble household, it helped her maintain an air of detached calm even when she wasn't all that calm.

"What do you want?" She asked harshly, raising her eyes to coldly regard the blue haired Espada that was leaning against the wall, his head resting on the hard surface as he stared at the opposite wall. His hands were shoved in his pockets and one leg was raised so that one foot was casually braced against the wall.

Grimmjow's blue eyes cornered over to her briefly before he pushed himself away from the wall and began to walk away from her without a word. Not knowing what else to do and since she was headed in the same direction, Sayomi fell into step a few paces behind him. When they walked out of the hall and into one of the large rooms that branched off into different areas of Los Noches, Sayomi stifled a gasp and her eyes widened. In the long rectangular room that was surrounded by hallways and stairwells, were several of the Espada members and their Fraccion, all of them had their eyes on her, watching her hungrily as she walked behind Grimmjow. It seemed her failure was already known and they must have sensed her reiatsu flare in response to Aizen's attempt to subdue her.

She could barely help sighing in relief when they walked through the hall that led to Sayomi's room, but her relief was short lived. There was a loud screech as Sayomi dropped into a crouch, partially unsheathing Fuyukaze from his place on her back.

"It's not very nice to attack people without warning, and from behind no less," Sayomi said as she turned to look at her attacker. "Is there something that you'd like to say, Nnoitra?" She stood up, the blade of Fuyukaze scraping against the curved blade of Nnoitra's strange weapon that was two crescent shaped blades that were fused together and attached to a staff like pole. She was standing in between the curve of the outer blade, her eyes were focused on Nnoitra's right eye since his left was covered by an eye patch.

"Yeah, I got something to say," the tall, thin black haired man chortled. "I don't like women who think they can do as they please, I should teach ya a lesson in obedience."

"Do you think you could?" Sayomi asked coolly, fully drawing Fuyukaze and pushing the man away from her.

"I am the strongest Espada," he yelled brazenly. "You could never touch me."

"Is that so?" Sayomi replied, her face hardened and her eyes went blank, hiding whatever thoughts that were playing through her mind. "I'm afraid that you're wrong because it's you who will never touch me."

Nnoitra's face twisted angrily. "Tch. A little girl like you couldn't even scratch me."

"I've already proven you wrong."

Grimmjow's eyes widened, as did Nnoitra's and almost every other Arrancar's. None of them had been able to track her movements, but she was no longer standing behind Grimmjow. She was just behind Nnoitra, her back to his as a cut bloomed on the exposed portion of his chest, blood spurting into the air and raining down on the marble floor.

"You little b-"

"Now, now what's with the commotion, hm?"

All eyes shifted to see the grinning Gin walking through one of the hallways, his arms in folded in front of him as he walked.

"I was showing Nnoitra that women are not to be underestimated, especially me," Sayomi replied, sheathing Fuyukaze and turning around to walk back to where Grimmjow stood. "The next time he attacks me...I'll kill him."

"Can't say I blame ya, he's a bit too forward, ain't he? He should learn some manners before Aizen-sama finds out he has none," Gin said, grinning at Nnoitra.

"Tch," was the only reply that was given before Nnoitra stalked off, many of the other Espada and their Fraccion beginning to leave as well.

"I was hopin' to have a word with you, little sis, can you spare a few minutes for your older brother?" Gin inquired.

Sayomi's eye twitched, but she nodded stiffly. "Of course."

"Good," he replied cheerfully. "Sorry to be stealin' her from you, Grimmjow, but I'll give her back. I promise."

"Keep her as long as ya want, she's damn frustrating," Grimmjow mumbled, running his hand through his hair.

"She can be a bit stubborn, it's part of her charm," Gin smiled and ruffled Sayomi's hair.

The statement made Sayomi jolt in surprise, it brought back a lot of memories of her childhood, so much so that she scowled and swatted the hand away from her head. Smoothing her hair and spinning around with her hands on her hips, she glared at her brother. "I am not stubborn!" She snapped childishly.

She received a chuckle in reply and another pat to the head, much to her displeasure. "Come along, Sayomi, we'll have tea and play with the hallways."

Growling, she stomped off after Gin. "Stop treating me like a kid!" She shouted at him.

"But you are a kid."

"I am not!"

"You'll always be my kid sister, so you're just going to have ta deal with it."

"No way! I'm an adult, adult, dammit!"

"Could've fooled me," Gin muttered teasingly.

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Well, that is why you came here, isn't it?" Gin asked, turning to face her, his grin dropping from his face. "To kill your big brother?"

Sayomi stopped abruptly, staring in shock up at the taller man. He seemed sad, but she didn't buy it. "Yes, that's why I came here," she answered, no trace of emotion in her voice as she spoke.

Gin sighed and scratched at his head as he frowned. "To think ya used to be such a cute kid.. I'd have done anything to protect you, my baby sister, that had no one but me. I didn't want to kill you, but I didn't want you to die at the hands of someone who didn't care about you. Will you at least hear me out before you kill me? I'd like to tell you what really happened. "

"Why?" She snapped bitterly. "So you can lie to me? I don't want to hear your lies, excuses, any of it. You betrayed me! You tried to kill me! Your baby sister, Gin! So much for trying to protect me and always be there for me, you liar," she shouted, shaking with rage, her chest heaving as she clenched her fists at her sides. She was surprised by her own outburst and even more surprised when she realized that there was something warm trailing down her face. Wiping a hand over her cheek, she stared in stunned silence at the wetness she found there.

"I've never lied to you, Sayomi, not even when you were a kid. I always told you the truth, no matter how ugly it was though I will admit to leaving a few details out here and there. Come on, tea's gettin' cold," Gin told her, turning around and gesturing for her to follow. "We have some catchin' up to do."

She followed after him for lack of any other ideas. Her mind was reeling at the moment and she wanted to believe what he said so badly that it hurt. It was unexpected. For so long she had lived hating him, or at least she thought so, but now she wasn't so sure if it was hate or just resentment for having had to feel the sadness and loneliness of being betrayed by your own flesh and blood. Part of her wanted to understand, to be able to know the truth about what had happened and that part of her hoped that the reasons were enough to overpower the hate that she still harbored for her brother. She didn't want to kill him. She loved him. She wanted her big brother back, as foolish as the thought was.

Foolish thoughts were nothing new to her though. After all, she had clung to the idea of being able to reunite with Byakuya for years after leaving the Soul Society. She had clung so much to her love for him and her memory of him that it took his supposed death to make her begin to let him go, and even then she had never truly forgotten about him or stopped loving him. Even now, even after hearing he had moved on and married, after hearing him tell her she should return to the dead as if she were nothing to him and never had been, she still loved him.

She was a fool and she knew it. Kensei had once told her that she spent too much time living in the past. She hadn't really understood what he meant then, because you can't live in any time but the present. However, she thought she understood better now. She had always clung so to tightly to what had once been, to memories and dreams that she couldn't forget, that she didn't want to forget, that she hadn't really lived since leaving Soul Society. Rather than put forth the effort to live, she had instead pretended it was all something like a dream, but she never woke from the dream to return to where her heart wanted so badly to be.

She never would, but that didn't mean that one couldn't learn to take charge of their own dreams.

* * *

><p>~AN~

Too tired for much elaboration on anything...

Thank you to all of my lovely readers! You're the bestest!

Now if you would feed the monster it would be much appreciated. Thank you!


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 18**

**Trust**

Sitting in a cold white chair, Sayomi stared blankly at her tea that sat on the desk that dominated the room she and her brother were in. It was full of high tech equipment that allowed the palace of Las Noches to be constantly watched, even manipulated if the need arose. Neither of the rooms occupants had spoken since they had arrived and sat down. Sayomi was too lost in her own thoughts and Gin knew her well enough that he let her be so she could sort through her feelings on her own.

Her light blue eyes watched the images flickering across the monitors blankly as she pulled her legs up onto the chair and wrapped her arms around her knees. After a few minutes she noticed all of the controls had labels that seemed to correspond to various locations that could be brought up on the monitors by using a little knob and toggle switch. She studied them for a few moments before she caught sight of Grimmjow on one of the monitors. Noting the location of the hall he was in she glanced over the controls before absently reaching for one that should correspond to the hall Grimmjow was just about to come upon. It was the hall leading to his room.

A grin formed on her face when she flipped a switch, she wasn't sure what it would do, but the idea of screwing with Grimmjow was too irresistible. She frowned when nothing seemed to change though.

"Close," Gin said, scooting over to her side. "But this should be more effective."

She watched as he flipped the switch beside the one she had before pushing a button beneath it and then turning a dial. Sayomi could see the hallway in the monitor Grimmjow would soon step into disappear. The blue haired Arrancar walked past the spot where the hall had been, he continued for a few steps before seeming to instinctively know he had gone to far. He turned around and walked the way he had come only to make it to the previous intersection and look around in uncertainty. He shook his head as if clearing it and turned back the other way.

It was as he was passing the spot where the hall leading to his rooms should have been that Sayomi reached over Gin and flipped the switch once again, pressed her hand against the same button he had and then gave the little dial a small turn like he had done. The hallway suddenly sprung back into existence and Grimmjow turned around to look both ways, the look on his face grew annoyed and he grumbled something before turning down the hall and stalking to his rooms.

She sat and watched the monitors for several minutes again before sighing and properly sitting in her chair so she could sip at her tea. "Why am I here, Gin? What could you possibly say to make everything... anything better?"

The thin man sighed, plopping his chin into his hand as he stared at the monitors. "I just thought it would be nice to spend some time together. I haven't seen you in a long time-"

"Not since you tried to kill me, you mean," she cut in, her voice tired and bitter sounding.

Gin nodded. "I didn't want to kill you, Sayomi. I just knew that if we left you there Soul Society would kill you, or use you for experiments until you died.. I didn't want to see you die like that. You deserved better."

"So you took it upon yourself to kill me? What a great big brother I have."

"You're not listening," Gin sighed. "You should know what kind of methods are used to kill anything the Soul Society doesn't like, you should also know that being used as material by the research department would be even worse than any death the Soul Society would have given you. I was trying to give you a death you could have been proud of."

Sayomi's eyes flickered and she frowned. Part of her could honestly understand his reasoning. Had she been left there to be found by Soul Reapers and had the Central 46 had any say in how the rest of her life would play out, she knew she would have suffered a much more horrible end than he ever would have been able to give her had he killed her himself.

"Did you know that when you disappeared I abandoned Rangiku and searched for you?" Gin asked, when Sayomi shook her head he continued. "I never found you obviously. I managed to find Rangiku again several years later though and we decided to join the Academy. I figured if I was a Soul Reaper I would be able to better protect you when I did find you."

"By then didn't you think I was dead?" She asked. "It's not like I could have survived on my own."

He shook his head and smirked, reaching out to pat the top of her head. "Nope, you're too stubborn. I knew you were out there somewhere, kiddo."

"You joined the Gotei 13 a few years after I did. You were considered a genius, graduating in one year, but you were different from how I remembered you when I saw you again. There was always something that was a bit scary about you, but you were almost unrecognizable you were so... distant, cold. You weren't, and still aren't, the brother who raised me and cared for me in the Rukongai."

He shrugged noncommittally. "You're right, I'm not. It wasn't easy being alone, I didn't handle it too well. We should probably just leave it at that though, it's not a very pretty story and I don't want'ya to hate me more than you already do."

"You wanted to find me to protect me, but you were going to kill me. Part of me can understand, we were Soul Reapers and an honorable death is better than what I would have been given if I had been captured, but... I still don't understand, Gin... Why did you join Aizen and choose to betray Soul Society?" Sayomi asked, looking up to see his frown. "What did that have to do with protecting me? That's what you said you had wanted to do, right? Why did that change?"

"You're pretty straight-forward, aren't ya?" He sighed, scratching at the top of his head.

"I want to understand, Gin," Sayomi replied evenly.

"Someone as innocent as you wouldn't understand the reasons. I was never the person you thought I was. I couldn't be if I wanted to protectch'ya in that world and let you live in your own little world that was free of the hurt and hate that was the real world."

"You're wrong," Sayomi countered defiantly. "You were always a bit scary, I mentioned that already. You were always strong and I knew you didn't skip into the towns we came across and just happen to find food and money and clothes. I was never an idiot, you raised me so you should know me better then that. You're also wrong about me not understanding...I can understand, to a degree anyway. I am well aware of what it's like to want to protect someone and I would do anything to protect the people important to me. But that doesn't answer my question about why you would join Aizen."

"Why wouldn't I?" Gin answered. "He accepted me for what I was and gave me a place to fit in and belong."

"Those experiments that Aizen conducted you knew all about them, didn't you?"

"Yup, I knew everything."

"And knowing all of that you still helped him?"

"I did. You've met Aizen, Sayomi, the real one. Do you think I had much of a choice?" Gin asked, one of his brows tilting up inquisitively.

"You've always had a choice, Gin, you just chose to be a traitor," Sayomi replied tiredly. "If I hadn't gotten involved that night what would have happened when you betrayed Soul Society? You would still have betrayed me, right? You just wouldn't have tried to kill me. In the end you still would have turned your back on me, Gin. Soul Society was my home. I had found a family, love and I was happy."

"I never expected to find you in the Gotei 13 as a member of a noble house or a seated officer. It sort of changed things, but I had already made my choice and all I could do was try and protect ya. I had planned on finding you and helping you join the Gotei 13, Aizen had even agreed to help me find you," he said.

"You thought I would join you?" Sayomi asked incredulously.

"It was possible," he replied coolly, shrugging. "You always did as you were told and you never wanted to disappoint me."

Sayomi went silent, but she nodded once to show she agreed with his statement. "I suppose if things had been different there is a good chance that I would have followed you anywhere. I wasn't attached to Soul Society or the people in it until I met the Himura's and they so easily accepted me. Acceptance is a very powerful thing it would seem, isn't it," she sighed, setting the cold tea aside and looking at the monitors that displayed much of Las Noches.

"It would seem so," Gin agreed.

"Um, this is off the subject, but..." Sayomi trailed off as she glanced at the monitors, blinking thoughtfully. "You can't see the _inside_ of the rooms...Can you?" She asked curiously, smiling nervously.

Gin chuckled, reached forward and played with a few buttons. One of the screens went blank before a scene flickered to life on its surface.

Sayomi turned bright red as she realized that the picture was of the interior of Grimmjow's room and she could see him asleep on his bed before she walked in to the room and pulled the sheets off of him. "Oh you've gotta be kiddin' me," she groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"Don't worry, I won't tell," Gin said, grinning widely as he paused the playback.

"Did you have to stop it there?" Sayomi whined childishly as she looked at herself being pinned down by Grimmjow.

"Oh, sorry. Here, this better?" he asked, pressing a button and making the screen blank.

"Much."

There was a few minutes of silence, but this was different than the one when they had first sat down. It wasn't heavy and full of years of unspoken feelings and regrets. It was lighter now, almost comfortable.

"So what now, little sis?" Gin asked.

Sayomi sighed. "Hell if I know... What?" She asked when she caught his frown.

"You never used to talk that, it's not very lady like. I don't like it and I thought I taught ya better."

She tweaked a brow at him. "And you expect me to care?"

"I'm your big brother, you're supposed to listen to me."

"Is there something wrong in your head? Wait, never mind, bad question," Sayomi said upon seeing the amusement dancing on Gin's face. "I'm actually an adult now so I don't have to listen to you."

"And I told you that you are always gonna be a my kid sister, so deal with it," Gin replied, reaching over to ruffle her hair playfully.

"No way! You tried to kill me and I think that gives me the right to not have to listen to you!"

"I said I was sorry," he replied apologetically, though his grin hadn't entirely faded as Sayomi glared at him while smoothing her hair.

"No you didn't!" She snapped.

"Well, I'm sorry, Sayomi, I was only trying to keep you from becoming somethin' that you aren't."

"I hate you," she sighed, putting her head in her hands and closing her eyes.

"I know, I'm sorry 'bout that too," Gin said sincerely.

"I've spent all of these years resenting you, but now I keep on finding myself forgetting all of my anger and acting like a kid again. You're my brother, Gin, you're all I have left and I don't want to lose you too," she admitted quietly.

"So you aren't gonna kill me?"

A heavy exhale left her lips and she shook her head. "No."

"You sound disappointed," he observed wryly.

"Not really, but I betrayed everyone to come here and I don't really know what to do anymore. Aizen wants me to be his queen apparently and-"

Gin frowned, humming under his breath in dissatisfaction. "He said that?" He interrupted.

"Don't you see the bruises?" She tilted her chin up, the pale skin was already bruising in places. "I made the mistake of turning him down."

His frown deepening, Gin turned his face to the monitors thoughtfully.

"So what do I do now?" Sayomi asked.

"...You be a good little girl and stay out of trouble."

"Uh, ok. What about Aizen? Somehow I don't think he's too happy with me at the moment."

"Don't worry about that," Gin replied, his fox like grin back in place. "You're too cute to be mad at for too long."

She managed a weak smile in return. "I really wish I could believe that."

* * *

><p>Sayomi wasn't sure exactly what she should do. She knew she needed to start moving before Aizen had a chance to fully trap her in Hueco Muendo without any other options for survival. The only problem with that was that not two days ago she had stood up to him and had made herself seem more like an enemy than a friend. She had also drawn the wrath of his "followers" in the process. She had managed to stay out of the way of all of them so far, but at the moment she was headed right into the lion's den for a meeting that Aizen had called them all too. She didn't expect it to end well. Gin had reassured her that everything would be fine, but that if she was going to stay she would need to realize that that meant playing along with Aizen and his plans.<p>

She knew that of course, she wasn't an idiot, but no longer planning on killing Gin changed her entire reason for being in Hueco Muendo. It meant she had betrayed her friends so that she could reconnect with her brother, it may have seemed innocent, but that was hardly the case in this instance. A war was being prepared for and she was on a different side from those she had once allied herself with and called friends. That didn't mean that she would give up hope though. Aizen was still alive and it was Aizen that had taken away so much of what she had loved. She had many reasons to hate him and many reasons to want revenge. It was her thought of being able to kill him, to free herself from his shadow as well as getting her brother back that kept her going. At first she hadn't thought she would be able to accomplish much and leave alive, but now she had found her resolve and she wouldn't doubt herself any longer. She would kill Aizen and she would stop the war he wanted and save thousands of people from becoming tools in his game.

Her heeled boots clicked on the mirror like stones and the white coat she had decided to wear over her uniform billowed out behind her slim legs. The blue and silver lace obi she had used to tie the long coat in place around her waist was an unexpected splash of color in the monotonous background of white walls. Her hair was swept off her shoulders into a high ponytail that blew out behind her while she walked, her face a blank mask devoid of emotion.

When she walked into the meeting room to find that she was the last one to arrive she smiled at Aizen and made her way to sit with Grimmjow. Much to the blue haired man's annoyance Sayomi made herself comfortable on his lap, her back against one of the arms of his chair and her legs crossed and dangling over the other. She grinned at Aizen and her brother, who grinned back at her.

"Now that we're all here, why don't we begin this meeting," Aizen said smoothly, his brown eyes almost immediately shifting over to Sayomi. "I have decided to give Sayomi another chance to try and prove herself to you all since she is very important to me and I want you all to trust her, as I do."

Sayomi lifted a snowy white brow, she was quite curious as to where this meeting was going at that point since she was apparently supposed to be redeeming herself. Aizen knew full well that she could care less about whether the residents of his domain liked her or not, she wasn't there to please any of them and as it was she wasn't there for any reason anymore outside of the fact that she felt she had nowhere else to go and she was grasping on to a hope that she could kill the bastard that was trying to rule the world.

"I'm going to give her one more chance to find out exactly what Kisuke Urahara's orders are and what it is he is doing for the Soul Society in preparation for the coming winter," Aizen informed them all, his eyes on Sayomi the entire time. "She will be accompanied by Ulquiorra and Yammy as well as a few others of Ulquiorra's choosing. They will leave in two days."

Keeping her face blank and her eyes as bored looking as she could, Sayomi spoke up. "There was one captain in Karakura last time I was there. It's likely that there is another one now that they know I'm alive and not on their side. It's also likely they have orders to capture or kill me. Do you really think a few Arrancar will be enough of a distraction?"

"You won't have to worry about that. Let Ulquiorra and the others handle anyone that isn't Kisuke. Your only focus is to be him," Aizen replied.

Sayomi nodded her understanding all the while wondering just what the brown haired man was up to now.

"Good," Aizen said, smiling amicably at the long table of his Espada members. "I have no doubt that Sayomi will accomplish her task this time and after she has proven that she is trustworthy I'd like to have another meeting to discuss the future of Las Noches. The meeting is dismissed."

As the Espada began to clear out of the room, Sayomi stood from Grimmjow's lap and made to leave.

"Sayomi," Aizen called from where he still sat at the head of the table with Gin and Tousen beside him. "I'd like a word with you if I could please."

Stopping to turn around and face him, Sayomi smiled coyly. "Of course, Aizen-sama."

Aizen chuckled at her answer, but gestured for her to have a seat in the now empty chair to his right, which she did without hesitation, clasping her hands in her lap and leaning back to to stare coolly into the brown eyes that were assessing her every move.

"I'm surprised, Sayomi. I didn't expect you to so willingly agree to go back and confront Urahara," Aizen began, sipping from the white mug in front of him.

"The way I see it I don't have a choice," she answered.

"And why is that?"

Sayomi didn't take her eyes off of Aizen, she needed to step carefully or she could risk getting herself into a much tighter corner than she wanted to be in. Aizen couldn't know that she no longer cared about what happened to her so long as she took him with her.

"I thought we'd been over this," Sayomi replied, her head tilting to side. "It's because I don't have anywhere left to go. I can't go to Soul Society because I'll be killed for what I am since in their eyes I'm nothing more than a freak of nature that needs to be disposed off. I can't go back to Karakura because I betrayed everyone I knew there, besides I never really liked that place. I'm not fond of the world of the living and have no desire to go back, that leaves me with only one other option. To stay here and try to make the most of it."

"But you don't trust me," Aizen pointed out.

Sayomi shrugged a thin shoulder. "And you don't trust me seem to me like we're even. Besides, can you blame me for not trusting you? You knew I wouldn't get the information out of Kisuke the first time around and you sent me to the real world because what you really wanted to do was make sure that everyone, Soul Society and all my previous friends, knew I was a traitor. Chances are you have an ulterior motive for sending me on the same errand again, right?"

Aizen smirked at her while leaning thoughtfully back into his seat. "You already know my motives."

"Then why does it matter whether or not everyone here trusts me? You don't intend to change your mind." She kept her eyes firmly on Aizen, careful not let any emotion seep into them or her face as she spoke. It wasn't as hard as she had expected it to be, keeping up a calm and cool exterior around this man that she was well aware wanted to take everything from her and keep her for himself like some sort of trophy. She thought that it could have been because she had resigned herself to bringing about his end and she would gladly do whatever it took to do so.

"You're right, I don't. I'm curious, Sayomi, the other day you seemed completely against having anything to do with me. As a matter of fact you actually said you wanted nothing to do with me. So why are you so compliant now?"

"Compliant? I wouldn't say that," she replied smoothly, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "I just know that my stay will be more comfortable here if I keep an open mind." She gave Aizen a small smile, but she didn't fail to notice the slight downward tilt that her brother's lips were taking on as their conversation continued. She was also well aware that Aizen wasn't fully believing what she was telling him. "I know I've given you no reason to trust me and I also know that my actions the other day would make you want to do anything but trust me. However, I do want to prove myself. I will get the information from Kisuke this time."

Aizen smiled widely at her, he was clearly amused with the turn of events. "I'm sure you will."

* * *

><p>The banging of wood against the tile of the floor drew the nine captains' attention to the front of the long boringly white meeting hall. It was late evening in the Soul Society and there had been no reason given for the late emergency meeting that had been called.<p>

"I believe that you are all curious as to why you have been called here on such short notice," the old Head Captain Yamamoto began. He was hunched over his wooden staff, both hands resting on the knobby end in front of him as his hooded eyes looked over the two rows of captains before him. "As I'm sure you are aware there was an attack on Karakura Town earlier today. The report was that four Arrancar appeared in the skies above the city, three were merely distractions for the one female amongst them to try and get information from Kisuke Urahara, who was exiled a century ago, but has been helping us prepare for the upcoming war with Aizen. She failed in her mission and didn't get the information that Aizen had ordered her to retrieve."

"Then why the hell are we here," Captain Zaraki Kenpachi of the Eleventh division grumbled. He was a large man with spiky hair and a manic grin on his scarred face.

"The reason for you being here is simple; the woman is a former captain of the Gotei 13. Her identity was confirmed by Kisuke Urahara as well as lieutenant Matsumoto who served under her before her disappearance a century ago," Yamamoto continued in his gravelly voice.

"You can't mean..." The white haired Captain Juushiro Ukitake of the Thirteenth division began, his eyes flickering to the stoic, silent captain of the Sixth division, Byakuya Kuchiki. "She's alive?"

"Who the hell are ya talkin' about?" Captain Zaraki asked gruffly.

Byakuya answered the question, his voice was cold, distant as he spoke. "The adopted daughter of the last head of the noble Himura clan, their only child. She became the captain of the Tenth division after the death of her father, Hiroshi Himura. Sayomi Himura is how she was known to the entirety of the Gotei 13, her real name is Sayomi Ichimaru."

"That is correct," Yamamoto confirmed. "Sayomi Himura who disappeared over a hundred years ago, with eight others, has reappeared and it would seem that she is not an ally. It seems that she has taken sides with her traitorous brother and Aizen. The situation needs to be dealt with quickly. There were orders issued by Central 46 after the disappearances... Execution orders for each person who vanished that night."

Even the stoic Kuchiki couldn't entirely hide his surprise at the statement, his eyes widened minutely for a brief second before he quickly returned himself to his usual stoic demeanor. The reasons for the disappearances of the captains and lieutenants that had gone missing over a century ago were unknown to all that stood in the room. As far as they had known they were all dead, so it was a bit of a shock to hear that that wasn't the case and that there were orders to kill the nine ex-members of the Gotei 13.

"Is there any reason to indicate why the order to kill them was given?" Captain Ukitake asked.

"Yeah, my previous lieutenant was one of the ones who disappeared. I'm quite curious myself," captain Kyoraku asked lazily as he adjusted the straw hat on his head.

Captain Yamamoto didn't seem too pleased with the inquires from the two men, not that he hadn't expected someone to ask questions, he just didn't want to discuss the topic. Sighing, the elderly captain said something that would leave everyone completely speechless. "Due to the vile acts of Sosuke Aizen during his time as a member of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, specifically his experiments with hollowfication, they are to be dealt with as Hollows."

Captain Kyoraku stopped chewing on the piece of grass that was stuck between his lips as he stared at Yamamoto. "You can't be saying that they became Hollows, old man Yama."

"That is exactly what I'm saying, Shunsui. They have gained the unstable powers of Hollows. They are similar to the Arrancar that Aizen has created, except they were originally Soul Reapers."

"Do we know if the other eight are alive?" The short, fierce captain Soi Fon asked, her arms folded over her chest and her face blank.

"No, there is no information about the other eight," Yamamoto answered.

"It doesn't seem fair, does it?" Ukitake said with a sigh. "To kill them for something that they had no control over."

"They should not exist, they are to be dealt with as Hollows as per the orders of the Central 46. If that is not enough, Himura will be dealt with as a traitor. It would be preferred that she is brought in alive for questioning, but the others, if they are alive, have separated from Soul Society and regardless of what they are are to be dealt with as traitors and deserters," Yamamoto replied.

Captain Ukitake sighed in disappointment and Kyoraku frowned, but no one else questioned the orders. The room was silent, no one knew what to say. It was quite a shock to learn that someone they had all believed to be dead was very much alive and a traitor. Several sets of eyes glanced at the stony captain Kuchiki who looked unperturbed by any of the news.

"Knowing that Himura is helping Aizen, it would be best to station another captain and lieutenant aside from Hitsugaya and his lieutenant in Karakura."

Captain Kuchiki cleared his throat. "My lieutenant and I will go."

There were several gasps from the people who knew of the Kuchiki's relationship to Sayomi. Captain Yamamoto raised a heavy brow as he regarded the black haired noble thoughtfully.

"Fine, you may go. You'll leave immediately. This meeting is adjourned."

* * *

><p>"We're really going to Karakura Town to look for that woman?" A slightly flustered Renji asked his unusually blank captain.<p>

"Must I repeat myself, Renji?" Byakuya asked coldly, keeping his eyes focused on the path ahead of him as he led the way toward the Senkai gate they would be using to enter Karakura.

"Uh, no," Renji spluttered out, scratching at his head and sighing. It may have only been a matter of months since he had become the nobleman's lieutenant, but he knew when to leave the man alone. Now was one of those times.

It wasn't hard to see that Byakuya was in a foul mood, the little extra reiatsu that was seeping from the usually calm and collected man was enough to tell him that. So was the steely glint in eyes, it was too much like the look he had seen in his eyes during the ordeal with Rukia's execution. Renji didn't know much about the situation, but he knew they were to bring the woman that had surprised him with her lightening quick reflexes and cat like movements when he and his captain had retrieved Rukia from the living world was to be captured and taken back to Soul Society to be dealt with as a traitor. He also knew the woman had been engaged to the Kuchiki a long time ago, and though it had been an arranged marriage, they had apparently been quite close.

He also knew that she had disappeared with several others over a hundred years before and had been considered dead. That was about it though. He had no idea why she was considered a traitor or what she had done to earn herself a death sentence from the Central 46 and the way captain Kuchiki was acting made him curious. Did his captain still love this girl? He had changed his own set of rules and beliefs to help Rukia, the sister of his beloved wife. It had surprised everyone to learn that the stoic Kuchiki actually had a heart.

Renji frowned and shook his head. It wasn't really his business whether or not his captain was still in love with the woman, besides it certainly didn't seem like that was the case considering he had volunteered them to capture her. If they couldn't capture her then they were to kill her. Things had gotten a lot more complicated than he had thought they would be and he wasn't sure what he should do. He settled for simply following orders.

* * *

><p>"Dammit! How long, Urahara!" A red faced Ichigo shouted.<p>

He was sitting at Kisuke's round table, Uryu and Chad were there as well. The other two boys sat silently as Ichigo fumed at Kisuke.

Kisuke sighed, lifting his green and white hat from his head to scratch at the back of his neck. "Sayomi destroyed the only suitable location before she left. I've been rebuilding it since then, but-"

"But what? How long will it take to get a doorway or whatever ready to go to Hueco Muendo? Orihime's being held prisoner, Sayomi's a traitor and-"

"Now, now," Kisuke cut in. "Sayomi had her reasons, it's not fair to judge her without knowing them."

"I don't care what her reasons were. She's helping them," Ichigo yelled. "She betrayed us."

"Do you have to yell?" Uryu asked pointedly after wincing several times in response to Ichigo's raised voice.

"Yes!" Ichigo shouted at the black haired Quincy, who sighed and pushed his glasses further up his nose. "You were friends with Sayomi, Ishida, don't-"

"You're wrong," Uryu cut in calmly. "I am still friends with Sayomi."

"But-"

"I don't know her reasons for doing what she did, but you didn't know her as well as I did. I find it hard to believe that she betrayed anyone. She's just not that type of person," Uryu continued.

"I can't believe you're saying that! She's helping the bad guys!" Ichigo cried in exasperation.

"Geez, you're loud. How 'bout turning the volume down a little, eh? "

Ichigo blinked in surprise as he looked over to the door that led into the little dining room. Standing in the doorway was Shinji, grinning at the four people in the room as he waved at them.

"Shinji? What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked, confused by the blond's unexpected presence.

"I'm here to tell ya to trust Sayomi," he replied seriously.

"But-"

"Shuddup, Ichigo," Shinji groaned before the orange haired teen could go off on another rant. "You don't know her. You're not the only one to be really pissed off at her, but she's got the same goals as everyone here. She's just goin' about things a little differently is all."

"What do you mean the same goals as us? And weren't you in our class for only a few days, so how do you know Sayomi?" Uryu asked.

"I was a Soul Reaper, but that was a long time ago. And I meant just what I said; her goals are the same as ours, but she wanted to do things on her own and in her own way."

"What does she plan on doing exactly?" Ichigo asked.

Kisuke and Shinji shared a quick glance, Shinji sighed and looked back to Ichigo. "She plans on killin' her big brother, you've met him, Gin Ichimaru."

"The fox face?" Ichigo inquired curiously.

"That'd be him," Shinji nodded. "And from what Kensei said, it's likely she's going to try to go after Aizen too."

"On her own?" Uryu asked.

Shinji nodded again, frowning this time. "Yeah, on her own."

"That idiot!" Ichigo snapped loudly, everyone's heads turned to face the teen again. He didn't look angry anymore, now he just looked upset and more worried. "Why didn't she just say so? Why didn't she ask for help?"

"Because she would have gotten it," Shinji answered.

* * *

><p>Sayomi kept silent as she walked through the garganta that Ulquiorra had created to allow the two of them plus Grimmjow and Yammy as well as two other nameless faceless to make their way to Karakura. Her eyes were cold, but bright pits of ice and she was moving with all the grace of a lioness that was stalking her prey. She was on her guard, not only was she aware that all but one of her companions didn't like her and would probably kill her if they were given the opportunity, she was also aware that there had to have been another reason beyond wanting her to prove herself to the Arrancar under Aizen's control for sending her back to question Kisuke.<p>

She wasn't able to finish thinking over the reasons as a sliver of blue sky came into view. She wasn't fully able to conceal the flicker of unease that washed over her when she sensed the presence of the one man she really didn't want to run into in the town they were quickly approaching.

Byakuya Kuchiki.

It didn't surprise her that he was there. She had expected it. She knew him and she knew he would have volunteered to bring her back to Soul Society so that she could be put to death. A part of her was saddened by that fact, they had loved each other once, but now they were two very different people and more importantly, they were on two different sides of one fight.

"Your only job is to question Kisuke Urahara. You aren't to worry about anything or anyone else," Ulquiorra said to her, sensing her unease.

"I'm aware of that," Sayomi replied icily as they stepped into the crystal clear sky above Karakura. "You do your job and keep them away and I'll do mine." Without a glance at Ulquiorra or any of the others, Sayomi flashed away, heading directly for the Urahara Shoten and keeping her spirit energy as concealed as possible.

She wasn't surprised when she felt Byakuya giving chase to her, she knew he would sense her despite her efforts to hide her reiatsu. She sped up and ignored the nobleman's approach. Ulquiorra and Yammy weren't too far behind and though she doubted Yammy would stand a chance against Byakuya, she didn't quite know what Ulquiorra was capable of. A part of her was certain that she didn't want to know, he was Aizen's pet for reason and it certainly wasn't because he was weak. Nnoitra liked to say he was the strongest, but it wouldn't have surprised her if Ulquiorra actually held that title, fourth Espada or not.

A growl leaked from between her lips and her eyes narrowed as she raced to the sliding doors of Urahara's shop. The shopkeeper wasn't alone. While Ichigo had sped off in the direction of Yammy and Ulquiorra another person had instead gone straight to the shop, having more skill at sensing spirit energy.

"Bakudo number four, crawling rope," Sayomi muttered under her breath as she ran through the doors and into the Urahara Shoten, just as she finished the incantation she raised her hands, palms outward.

There was a surprised shout as a thick rope wound its way around a surprised black haired boy, pinning his arms to his sides and making it impossible for him to lift his arms from his sides.

"What are you doing, Sayomi?" Uryu shouted, struggling fruitlessly against the magic that bound him.

She ignored him and made her way to the underground training room where Urahara was already waiting for her. "Breathe, Fuyukaze."

There was a sharp hiss as Sayomi attacked Kisuke head on and without hesitation. When her attack was blocked, she pushed herself away from the blond man before attacking again only to have her attempt blocked once again. Spinning on her heel, she came at Kisuke's left side with Fuyukaze, when he moved his own sword to counter she lifted a booted foot and sent it back into his stomach.

"I see you're taking this seriously," Kisuke commented cheekily, rubbing at his stomach with a sigh as he grinned at Sayomi. "I was really hoping-"

Sayomi never let him finish, she gracefully flicked the hilt of her sword in to the air, causing the blade to sweep through the air in front of her in a circle. "Exhale, Fuyukaze."

"Sing, Benihime," Kisuke shouted, a wall of a hard red substance forming in front of him to shield him from the sudden onslaught of snow and ice that was being hurled at him by a strong and sharp ice cold wind. Parts of the shield cracked and some of the edges began to crumble.

A frown found its way to Kisuke's face as his shield began to fall apart around him. His eyes widening suddenly, he spun around and barely managed to lift Benihime into a defensive position across the front of his body, using the flat of it to block Sayomi's attack on him. The wind hadn't let up, but it didn't seem to have any effect on the blue eyed girl as small bits of snow and ice began to slice through the fabric of his black robe.

"I'm in a hurry, Kisuke, so either tell me what you're building for Soul Society willingly or I'll beat it out of you." Sayomi threatened monotonously, pushing against his sword and not failing to notice the strain he was under since he had been forced to block her hastily.

"So you know I'm building something, huh?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Sayomi growled, bringing Fuyukaze down quickly and letting the hilt slide over her palm so that the tip of the blade was now pointing to the dirt before bringing it back up and leaping backwards to put some distance between them.

"You almost cut me," Kisuke observed in a half whine, half amazed voice as he looked at the clean cut that Sayomi had inflicted upon his kimono to reveal part of his chest and abdomen, she had barely missed cutting through his skin.

Sayomi's eyes shifted to the entrance into the barren, desert like room, her jaw clenched and she openly frowned. Byakuya was getting much too close for comfort and he was extremely aggravated at the moment. Ulquiorra had been keeping him busy, while Grimmjow was fighting with Ichigo. Yammy and the two other Arrancar were spread out over a small area fighting with Chad and Byakuya's lieutenant, Renji.

A quiet hiss escaped her lips before she turned her blue eyes onto Kisuke who was watching her curiously.

"Do you really want to do this, Sayomi?" He asked.

"I don't have a choice," she replied, raising a hand in front of her face and pulling her nails through the air to allow the white of her feline like hollow mask to form over her face. "I suggest you tell me soon, before someone gets hurt." The reiatsu she had been keeping under strict control sky rocketed, sending a hurricane like gust of wind through the training room. She would normally not resort to having to use her Hollow form, but she wanted to finish things here as quickly as she could and get away from Byakuya and the others.

"That's cheating," Kisuke sighed, scratching at his head.

She was fast as it was. She had had Yoruichi for a teacher after all and only she and Byakuya could rival her in speed, but while in hollow form, she was little more than a blur of white that moved so fast that by the time anyone would be able to react she would have already inflicted a severe amount of damage. It wasn't much different for Kisuke, the only difference was that his eyes could see her, but his body couldn't keep up with her movements. He barely had time to register the palm that slammed into his stomach or the fact that there was a loud whistling in his ears as he soared through the air before smashing into one of the many rock walls, leaving a rather large indent in it as he fell to the ground.

His sword was still clutched in his hand, but it was knocked free by a swift kick from Sayomi and clattered to the ground loudly. He winced when Sayomi stepped in front of him, placing the extremely sharp tip of Fuyukaze at the base of his throat and putting enough pressure onto the spot to draw a small bead of blood.

Reaching up Sayomi lifted her mask from her face so that it rested on the top of her head to reveal that her eyes were still wild, but her face was much the same. "Tell me, Kisuke," she ordered, pressing Fuyukaze just a little deeper into his skin.

"I didn't think you'd go this far just to kill your own brother," Kisuke admitted, his voice slightly rough.

"I don't plan on killing my brother," she replied evenly.

Kisuke's eyes widened for a moment before his face returned to a more serious expression. "I see, then you've actually joined Aizen?"

"He wants a queen and I plan on giving him exactly what he wants."

Staring up at her for a few seconds, Kisuke seemed to think about something before sighing and shaking his head. "Four pillars will be erected around Karakura. All the citizens will be put to sleep and then Karakura will be replaced with a fake while the real thing is kept safe in Soul Society."

"Is there a back up should one of the pillars be destroyed?"

"Not yet, but I'm working on it."

"Well work faster because if I fail then everyone will be relying on you to keep all these people safe," Sayomi replied, her voice sounded tired as she reached a hand up above her head and let her mask disintegrate into nothingness. She removed Fuyukaze from his throat and turned around to leave the blond staring after curiously as she disappeared in a small chill breeze.

Uryu looked up as a blur of white shot past him, he heard someone mutter, "release" and the spell that had bound him was broken. He was on his feet and out the door not a second later.

There were several clashes of reiatsu, but instead of heading for Ulquiorra who she knew would sense her leaving the shop she headed towards Grimmjow and away from the rather annoyed Sixth Division captain. Having gotten what she had come there for she was focusing on getting out of there and back to Hueco Muendo. Her thoughts were distracted, focused on Byakuya and his fight with Ulquiorra, she neared the fight between Grimmjow and Ichigo, but she never noticed the person who was following her until it was already too late.

She spun around, drawing Fuyukaze to block the blow she could sense coming. Her efforts were too little too late, she hadn't immediately recognized the reiatsu of her follower. She had taken too long to recall that his weapon was a thick, segmented sword that was able to disjoint itself during an attack. Her eyes widened in surprise and a choked sound was forced from her throat as one of the protruding blades of the sword was embedded into her left shoulder. She ground her teeth together in pain when it was ripped forcefully out of her body. Tendons and bone were destroyed as blood showered into the air. Her left arm went limp at her side, but she managed to stay standing as a sheen of sweat appeared on her brow while her face paled.

"Sayomi!" Ichigo shouted, taking his attention from Grimmjow who had also stopped fighting to turn toward Sayomi as her blood ran in rivers down her useless arm while she faced Renji, her sword held ready in her trembling right hand. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Renji?"

"She's a traitor, she's working with Aizen," Renji snapped.

"You don't know a damn thing about her, you idiot," Ichigo argued, charging forward when Renji made it apparent that he didn't intend to listen and moved to attack Sayomi again. "She can barely stand up, but you'll still attack her?" He growled, blocking Renji's blade with his own.

"I have orders."

Ichigo planted his feet on the ground and tightened his grasp on his own sword. "I don't give a damn about your orders, I won't let you touch her."

Sayomi cast a glance back at Grimmjow. "I got what we came here for, lets go." She turned and walked to him, leaning heavily against him as he opened a garganta.

"Wait," Ichigo yelled after them, cursing when the two disappeared without paying him any attention.

"You idiot, they got away," Renji complained bitterly.

"You're the idiot, Renji," Ichigo retorted, his eyes slipping over to Uryu as the Quincy arrived, his eyes quickly taking in the blood covered ground and the fact that Sayomi was no longer there. "What do you know about Sayomi? Anything?" Ichigo snapped at Renji.

"She's a traitor," he replied, shrugging.

"Sayomi isn't a traitor," Uryu stated calmly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he frowned at Renji. "She was a loyal Soul Reaper and still is."

"How can you two defend her? She attacked Urahara," Renji pointed out.

Ichigo just shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal, and even Uryu didn't seem to think much of it.

"She's doing what she feels she needs to do in order to stop Aizen," the just mentioned blond added as he too walked into the park.

"I thought she wanted to-"

"Her plans have changed. She's no longer aiming for her brother, but for Aizen himself and she's willing to give herself to him to do it," Kisuke replied before Ichigo could complete his sentence.

"Wait.. you mean she's trying to kill Aizen?" Renji asked, confused by the revelation.

"Yes and she's trying to do it alone," Kisuke answered. "And chances are he's already aware of what she's planning."

"Dammit," Ichigo shouted angrily. "Why can't she just ask for help?"

"Because she's already betrayed you once, she doesn't want to have to do it again. She also doesn't feel that it is a fight you should get involved in. She's tired, she wants to end things on her own terms in hopes that no one else will have to get hurt."

"When is that garganta going to be done?" Ichigo asked.

Kisuke smiled. "Give me five days."

* * *

><p>~AN~

Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers. You are all super amazing.

If you wouldn't mind please feed the monster some review cookies. The monster likes cookies. Thank you!


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach, I don't even have any bleach so my whites are a little not so white.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19<strong>

**Lies and Illusions**

Sayomi had her chin in the palm of her left hand and her elbow propped up on the white desk she was sitting at as she played with a knob with her right hand. Her blue eyes were watching the screen with amusement and there was a smirk on her face as she pushed the knob up a notch and tapped a button on one of the keyboards.

"An' just what do you think you're doin'?"

Jumping in her seat at the sound of the voice behind her, Sayomi spun around to scowl at her brother. "Thanks for almost giving me a heart attack, Gin. I thought we were past the trying to kill each other thing?" She snapped snottily.

Chuckling as he walked fully into the surveillance room, Gin patted Sayomi on the head. Her face pulled into an annoyed glare as she growled and swatted the hand away from her, patting her hair down once the hand had been removed.

"I'll never get tired of that look. Ya look like a kid again," Gin teased happily.

"Maybe I should've just killed you," Sayomi grumbled.

"So who should we play with today?" Gin mused as he took the empty seat next to Sayomi.

"We haven't played with Ulquiorra yet," Sayomi replied, spinning back around to face the monitors.

"Are ya sure you want to play with the emo kid? He can be a little creepy."

"So? I want to see if his face can move."

"Alright then," Gin said. "So how ya doin', little sis?"

"Fine, why?" Sayomi asked, keeping her attention on the corridor that Ulquiorra would walk into once he left Orihime's room after having her dinner delivered. She hoped the poor girl ate, Orihime had had to heal her shoulder the night before and while she didn't know much about how her powers worked she knew that she needed to keep her strength up and not let herself waste away.

"You seem sad and you haven't even been teasin' Grimmy very often, I think he's gettin' worried."

"I'm just distracted. I keep wondering how everyone else is doing, but then I remember I'm trying to forget so it shouldn't matter."

At first Gin didn't reply, but the silence in the room was ripe with a forlorn sadness. "It gets easier," he finally said.

"I hope you're right," Sayomi sighed.

* * *

><p>Sayomi lay on her sofa, one hand behind her head and the other resting on her stomach as she stared up at the annoyingly white ceiling above her. Even in the darkness she had let her room plunge into she could see the ceiling and walls, they practically glowed they were such a bright shade of white. Her sharp ears caught a strange buzzing sound and her pale blue eyes immediately began to try and track down the source of the sound, flitting from side to side until her hand snapped into the air. Wrinkling her nose, she opened her fist and let the now dead fly that she noticed had a little white mask on its head fall to the ground carelessly.<p>

"We're about to have company," Sayomi murmured absently.

There was no knock or call before the door flew open and an angry blue haired Espada appeared in her doorway, framed by the light of the hallway.

"Can I help you, kitten?" Sayomi asked blandly, examining her nails disinterestedly.

"Lets go," he grunted, nodding his head towards the hall.

A white eyebrow tilted up and blue eyes cornered over to the man in her doorway. "Excuse me?"

"Aizen's asking for us."

"Is he now?" she replied blandly. "What a surprise." Sarcasm wasn't something she exhibited often, but she wasn't surprised that Aizen wanted to see them. News had reached just about every single person that lived in the entirety of Hueco Muendo that Sayomi had succeeded in getting the information that Aizen wanted from Kisuke, now all she had to do was report it and she wasn't exactly in the mood. Her shoulder was still sore from nearly being ripped off and Orihime had been upset by the fact that the man who had done it was apparently a friend to their little group. Sayomi had had to reassure her several times that it wasn't her fault and she would be fine before Orihime grudgingly dropped the topic entirely, though the sad look in her eyes didn't disappear.

"You're making this difficult. Either you go willingly or I'll drag your ass there. I'm not in the mood to be lectured by Tousen, so lets go."

Glancing up at the ceiling and sighing, Sayomi pushed herself off the couch, letting her hair cascade over her shoulders. She was wearing long white hakama and with them she wore a long white coat with a deep v-neck that laced up the front with a black ribbon. There were slits on either side of the coat to allow her to move more freely as well as in the back, it almost reminded her of Ulquiorra's usual clothing choice, almost, hers was much more stylish. Her feet were bare at the moment, but she grabbed her boots which had somehow managed to stay free of blood, unlike everything else she had worn and slipped them on before standing to walk to where Grimmjow waited for her.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she said quietly, rolling her stiff shoulder and stretching her neck.

Grimmjow frowned. "You're not the only one."

They walked to the meeting room in silence and once there Sayomi chose to step up beside Gin. Somehow that's what she thought she was supposed to do when he turned and grinned at her. Folding her arms over her chest, she leaned back onto her heels and waited patiently for the meeting to begin.

"Thank you all for joining us again so soon," Aizen began, looking out over the long table of his Espada members. "I thought that you would all like to hear that Sayomi has accomplished her task, she was wounded in the process which was the reason for the delay. Sayomi," he said, turning to smile at her and gesture at the full table. "Would you like to share what you learned?"

"Soul Society is planning on putting all of the inhabitants of Karakura Town into an induced sleep and then replacing the actual town with a fake. Four pillars will be erected around the town to enable them to swap the real town for the fake. The real Karakura will be protected in Soul Society while the battles are fought in the real world," Sayomi explained blandly, smiling at Aizen once she finished.

"So all that we need to do is destroy those pillars and the real town will be at our disposal?" Szayel inquired.

"It won't be that easy," Sayomi replied, not caring that the question was not aimed at her, but had been meant for Aizen. "Urahara is working on something that would allow a broken pillar to remain useful. On top of that, do you really think that they would leave the pillars unguarded?"

"Sayomi is right. The pillars will undoubtedly be guarded," Aizen said, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands in his lap. "But that won't be a problem."

"I don't see how that's not a problem," Sayomi replied. "You have made the entirety of Soul Society angry and I'm sure that more than one of them want something more than to just defend their home. I'm sure there's someone who will want revenge and that can be a very powerful motivator, I would know after all. How can you know that it won't be a problem, there are still ten captains and their lieutenants as well as the three lieutenants that you left behind and only ten members of your Espada."

"Ah, I forget that you haven't had much of a chance to see the members of my Espada in action, but there's no need to worry, Sayomi. Not all the captains and their lieutenants will be present, some of them will be occupied elsewhere. That's actually something that I'll be needing your help with," Aizen informed her smoothly.

She nodded her understanding, but couldn't help but feel ill at ease. She knew that part of capturing Orihime was to lure Ichigo, Uryu and Chad away from Karakura. It would take a few soldiers off of the battlefield, something that was always appealing to the one doing the attacking. She had made sure that she would have some time to prepare for Ichigo and the others by destroying the only suitable location Kisuke had for creating a Garganta, but she also knew that it wouldn't take him long to rebuild it, especially with how determined Ichigo could be.

"The other reason I wanted everyone to gather together again was because I thought you should all know that I have plans on making Sayomi your future queen. Which is why it means so much to me that you trust her."

Sayomi's eyes widened at the rather unexpected statement, but she didn't say anything, only turned her blue eyes to Aizen and blinked before tearing her gaze from his and lowering her eyes to the floor. She wasn't the only one to be surprised, there were murmurs around the entire room and several dirty looks were cast in her direction.

The corner Sayomi had backed herself into was beginning to grow smaller and narrower with each little thing that Aizen did to make sure she had nowhere left to go but back to him. She knew that a few more smart moves on his part and she really wouldn't have any choice but to do exactly as he wanted, to crawl to him and beg him to help her. She was hoping to be able to use a few tricks of her own, a lustful man could usually be won over easily by a few coy words or a flick of the hair, but this wasn't just a man that was lusting after her. He wanted every part of her under his control and if things didn't turn around soon, he might just get his wish.

The meeting was dismissed shortly after, but Sayomi stayed beside Gin, carefully avoiding the eyes of every person that walked past her. Gin nudged her in the arm and tilted his head towards the door once the room emptied out, she was about to follow after him when Aizen stood up and called for her.

She turned around slowly, but met his gaze unwaveringly. "Yes?"

"I'd actually like you to join me for dinner. You and Gin can play with the hallways later," Aizen told her and despite the smoothness of his tone, she knew she had no choice.

"Of course, I'd love to," she replied, smiling at Gin and waving before following Aizen from the room.

"There's no need to be so tense, Sayomi," Aizen said, glancing over his shoulder at her as she walked a few paces behind him. "It's only dinner and you can leave after. I'd just like to talk to you, you seem to be opening up a bit, but you're still not entirely willing to become my queen, are you?"

"I told you before that I don't want to be someone's entertainment and I don't believe for a second that you would view me as anything but your own personal play thing," Sayomi answered brazenly.

Aizen's lips quirked upwards at her response. "And I told you I have no use for a whore, Sayomi. I am a man and, yes, I have the needs of one, but," he turned around to face her at this point, forcing her to stop in her tracks to look questioningly up at him. "I would rather spend my life loving one woman rather than many... You're scared of me, aren't you?"

Sayomi didn't reply to his question, he already knew the answer if he was asking. Her body language was probably a dead give away anyway regardless of how hard she tried to make it seem like she was scared of nothing. Her breath hitched in her throat when he reached a hand towards her face and ran the backs of his finger lightly over her cheekbone before leaning closer to her.

"I'm sorry that I frighten you, Sayomi," he whispered in her ear. "But I promise you there is nothing to be afraid of."

Her eyes clenched shut and she pursed her lips in an attempt to keep her breathing regular as her hair was brushed from her shoulder and Aizen kissed her neck softly, his lips then traveled upwards, stopping at her chin where they lingered for a moment before he pulled away from her.

"See, I am capable of being gentle," Aizen said, placing a finger under her chin to tilt her face up to his as she reopened her eyes. "I meant what I said, Sayomi, I want a queen and it will be you. I'd like it if you would at least give me a chance."

"And if I willingly agree to be your queen.. what's in it for me?"

"Everything you could ever want."

'All I want is you dead,' she thought as she managed a small, shy smile.

* * *

><p>The following day Sayomi went in search of Gin, but couldn't find him anywhere and with as large as Las Noches was and as unfamiliar with it as she still was, she was having a hard time pin pointing his exact location. No one she saw spoke to her, but almost everyone seemed to be more respectful, bowing their heads to her or stepping out of her way. Jealousy was a powerful thing and many of the residents of Las Noches were not happy with her rather quick and unexpected rise to the top. Most of them wouldn't do a thing, knowing full well that to challenge her would be like challenging Aizen himself and no one here would dare to do that. Except for her, but they didn't need to know that and it.<p>

When she had no luck finding Gin in his rooms or the surveillance room, she made her way back towards Aizen's quarters and the meeting halls, hoping that he was there somewhere. The fact that she was unable to get a clear reading on his whereabouts was beginning to grate on her nerves, as it was she hadn't seen anyone in over thirty minutes and she was running out of places to look for her squinty eyed brother.

"Ulquiorra," she called suddenly, sensing the emotionless Espada just around the next corner. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned the corner to almost wind up in the black haired man's arms, well it was more likely she would have wound up on the floor since he probably would have just stepped out of her way. "Uh, have you seen Gin? I've been looking for him, but I can't get a good fix on him."

"He's with Aizen-sama in the great hall," he replied. "I was just asked to bring you there."

"Oh." A sudden sense of dread began to build up in her stomach, she didn't understand it, but as she walked beside Ulquiorra something was telling her to turn around and not go with him. She ignored that voice, opting to figure she was just being paranoid. The second that the double doors began to swing open, grinding quietly against the tile of the floors, she knew she should have listened.

'_Sayomi-sama_,' Fuyukaze warned tensely.

'I know, Fuyu, the scent of blood is fresh in here. But whose is it?'

"So nice of you to join us, Sayomi. You got here quicker then I expected."

The voice was followed by a dull thump and Sayomi's head snapped towards the sound and the voice that she immediately recognized as Aizen's. He was standing just behind the last pillar of the hall on the left. She could tell that he had his sword drawn and there was a puddle of blood at his feet, but where it was coming from was unknown to her. She barely heard the sounds of the doors closing behind her as she took another step, her eyes focused on the blood at Aizen's feet.

A pale hand came into view, followed by the sleeve of a bloodstained robe. Taking another step forward she was able to see the face of the man that lie dead on the ground before Aizen. She stifled a sob and brought her hands to her mouth to muffle any other sobs that might threaten to slip past her lips as her eyes began to water.

"Gin," she half sobbed as she stared at the face of her brother that was contorted by the pain of his final moments. "Why...Why did you.." She couldn't force the words from her mouth as she tore her eyes from the pale face that would forever be etched into her memory to look at his killer. She could feel the many emotions swirling around inside her, ranging from sadness to hate and her hands clenched at her sides in an attempt to keep the cool demeanor she had built up while in Hueco Muendo.

"This is what you wanted. What you betrayed all of your friends for, isn't it? To kill him," Aizen said, a slight twitch of his wrist sending an arc of red droplets from his sword onto the tile behind him before he slid the steel blade into the sheathe at his side. "I thought that as a gift to show you that I will give you whatever you want, I would give you what you came here for."

"Bastard," she spat, tears freely pouring down her cheeks as Aizen took a step towards her and then another. For each one he took towards her, she took one back until icy fingers encircled her arms, holding her in place. She hissed as she glanced over her shoulder at Ulquiorra.

"You came all this way for revenge," Aizen began as he neared Sayomi who was eying him suspiciously as she tried to not press her body into Ulquiorra's as Aizen's hand slowly reached for her. She couldn't evade the icy fingers that brushed over her cheek and made her want to vomit, all she could do was fruitlessly turn her head away. "You hated him, didn't you? You wanted him dead, your own loving brother who would have done anything for you. Even betray me."

Sayomi's eyes widened and she sucked in a surprised breath. "What?" she asked shakily.

"He tried to kill me, Sayomi. Just because I want to be the one to take care of you now."

"No. He wouldn't have-"

"He did. He wanted to protect his precious little sister by killing the man who plans on taking everything from you. I will have you, Sayomi, you will be mine," Aizen murmured coldly. "Even if I have to kill everyone you once loved, you will be mine."

She shook her head with a hollow laugh. "No, I won't."

She took a deep breath and Ulquiorra was forced to take a step back as blue and white reiatsu bloomed around her with a thundering crash, her hair whipped around her body and the loose fabric of her uniform did the same. With her head lowered, she raised her right hand out to her side, without a word her bracelet disintegrated and Fuyukaze's deep blue sheathe appeared in her hand. When she finally looked up to meet Aizen's eyes and saw the smirk that resided there, her eyes narrowed and in a quick, graceful move she had unsheathed Fuyukaze and charged at him.

It was no surprise to her when Ulquiorra appeared in her path, blocking the way to Aizen. Not knowing the first thing about Ulquiorra's abilities she was leery about facing him, but as pissed off and saddened as she was at the moment she had no intention of letting him block her path to Aizen for long. She tore her nails through the air in front of her face allowing her hollow mask to form before she held Fuyukaze out in front of her, the tip pointed to the ground. The hall all but exploded due to the force of her spirit energy as she released the sword, letting it disappear into the tile at her feet, her lips moved but the only word that was heard was an angrily muttered, "Ban-kai" before the entire room was splashed with bright white light and gale force winds combined with snow and ice began to tear the room apart.

"I'm honored you'd go so far as to show me your ban-kai, Sayomi, but I don't see why you're so upset. I gave you what you wanted, or had you changed your mind, hm? Women really are so fickle and changeable," Aizen mused, his smirk still on his face as his clothes and hair were whipped around by the wind.

Sayomi's darkened eyes narrowed and a feral growl leaked from between her clenched teeth as her face twisted into an angry snarl beneath her mask. "There's no way you didn't know that I had changed my mind and you will pay for what you did to him."

She raised her right hand into the air, her fingers gracefully flicking in Aizen's direction. The freezing, churning winds behind her howled and swished passed her causing her long hair to blow into her face. Her wrist moved again, her fingers sweeping through the air to redirect the snow storm when Ulquiorra tried to disperse it with a sweep of his right arm. He managed to redirect some of the blow, but now all and now had several deep gashes on his arm. Sayomi had enough control over the sharp winds that she could attack him again without much of a pause. This time Ulquiorra couldn't deflect the icy wind that enveloped him, ripping through cloth and skin before hurling him into one of the pillars with enough force to break it in half.

"Now that we're alone let me show you just how thankful I am," Sayomi told Aizen, her voice starting out calm and quiet before rising to an anger filled yell.

Raising her right hand out to her side, there was a stirring and gathering of wind that solidified until she had a replica of Fuyukaze in her outstretched hand. With no hesitation, she took a single step and attacked Aizen head on. She hissed through her teeth when her blade met his with a screech that was lost as the already violently churning winds intensified, Sayomi pushed herself away from Aizen and at the same moment the winds directed themselves at the brown haired man, colliding with the ground with enough force to shake the entire room.

She was forced to turn her head to the side to avoid the spray of ice and rubble, but her eyes never left the spot where Aizen had been standing.

"It seems I've underestimated you, Sayomi," a cool voice said evenly, almost teasingly.

Sayomi's eyes widened as the dust cleared and she saw that Aizen was still standing in the exact same spot with barely a scratch on him. His robes were tattered around the hems and there was a scratch on his cheek that was leaking a small line of blood, but nothing else.

"Impossible," she muttered to herself.

She had been considered one of the strongest captains of the Gotei 13 and had never met someone who could withstand her bankai, except for Byakuya, but the final release for their zanpakuto was so similar that their attacks usually canceled each other out. But now, not only was she in Hollow form which made her attacks exponentially stronger, she had just attacked Aizen full force and had only managed to scratch him. She suddenly realized just how much stronger Aizen was than her and everyone else and though she had known that she stood no chance of beating him from the beginning, she had never expected the difference between them to be so great that she could only manage to scratch him.

"Not impossible, dear, you just underestimated me. Now would you like to calm down so we can talk this over? I'd really like to keep you from destroying this hall, it's one of my favorites."

She snarled in frustration, crouching slightly before raising both hands in front of her. With her blade parallel to the ground, Sayomi pointed one finger at Aizen and at the same time once again directed the full force of her bankai at him. Once she had gathered enough energy she fired a blazing red cero at Aizen along with her bankai. There was a rumbling as the flooring began to crumble and give out from the immense pressure that was being put on it. Once the red light of the cero dissipated, Sayomi flashed through the snow and ice that was still pressing upon Aizen, it did her no harm as she let out a small cry and lunged for the brown haired man.

Her sword pierced through his upper chest. Blood stained the white of his robe and Sayomi felt a small sense of pride at having been able to actually wound the man. That was until he simply raised his empty right hand and closed his fingers around the blade of her sword. He pulled the blade from his chest easily before his fist closed, shattering the silver blade of Sayomi's sword.

'There's just no way,' Sayomi thought in shock, her eyes widening in disbelief as she stared at the broken blade in her hands. 'This can't be real. He can't be so strong that a sword through his chest would barely affect him.. And to crush my sword, even if it wasn't the real thing, but only a part of my bankai... It' can't be real.'

'_Sayomi-sama_,' Fuyukaze yelled worriedly, snapping her out of her state of shock. '_Run! We cannot beat him._'

Coming back to her senses, Sayomi spun on her heel and attempted to flee while trying to distract Aizen with another flurry of the strong and sharp winds. He merely swatted everything away like it was nothing but a minor annoyance and watched her go. She was just about to reach the doors when she stopped suddenly, letting out a choked, harsh cough. Her eyes widened in confusion and uncertainty as she felt something warm slip through her lips and run down her chin. Everything seemed to slow for a moment before she was jerked painfully back into awareness and reality as something was pulled from her back. Looking down she saw that the once perfectly white coat she had worn was slowly turning red starting from a place near the center of her chest. She took a shuddering breath, gasping for air that didn't want to fill her lungs.

'This isn't happening...I can't die here...Not here, not with him,' Sayomi thought frantically, her eyes clenching shut as she concentrated on trying to calm herself down.

Taking another shuddering breath, Sayomi let herself melt into a state of peacefulness, let the feeling wash over her until all she could feel was a gentle and cool breeze kissing her cheeks. Her eyes snapped back open and she spun around, slicing through the air with Fuyukaze who she had released from ban-kai. Surprised by her sudden return to her senses as well as by the fact that she still had any strength left to fight, Ulquiorra couldn't fully move out of the way of the blow. She cut through his stomach easily before raising a booted foot and slamming it into him, sending him flying through the air. With one last look at Aizen who was watching in clear, unmasked amusement, Sayomi turned and fled, letting her mask shatter as she ran because it was taking too much energy to keep it on and stay in control of her mind and emotions.

She was having a hard time breathing as she flashed her way through Las Noches. She was surprised that despite the commotion, there was no one in the halls as she made her way to Orihime's room. Panting heavily, her left hand wrapped around her body that was beginning to hunch forward as she threw Orihime's white door open.

"S-Sayomi! Wh-what happ-"

"We need to go," Sayomi yelled, glancing over her shoulder with a scowl and turning to stand in a defensive crouch in front of Orihime with Fuyukaze held steadily before her.

"How do you plan on leaving when you can't open a Garganta?" Grimmjow asked pompously as he appeared in Orihime's doorway.

Sayomi clenched her jaw and released a small, feral growl. She took a step back as Grimmjow walked into the room, she didn't want to tire herself out anymore than she was since she knew she would likely run into several problems once she got in to the real world again.

"What are you doing?" She asked in surprise when Grimmjow raised his right arm to his side and a with a strange ripping noise created a garganta.

"Go," he said blandly.

She eyed him suspiciously before her eyes snapped to the door, Ulquiorra was on his way there and it wouldn't be long before he reached them. Scowling, she turned to Orihime. "There's no solid walkway in a garganta you have to create one by focusing your spirit energy to your feet. I can do most of the work, but I'll need you to go first, ok?"

Orihime nodded hesitantly, clearly frightened by the sudden and drastic change in what had so far been a rather boring daily routine.

"Come on," Sayomi said, lowering Fuyukaze and stepping just inside of the garganta to create the beginning of a walkway to the other side. She motioned for Orihime to go first and once the red headed girl ran through, Sayomi cast a look at Grimmjow, uncertain of his true intentions. Aizen would kill him for what he was doing, not only helping her escape but Orihime too, so why would he do it? "Thank you," she said before turning and fleeing into the darkness of the portal he had created for them.

The rip closed just as Ulquiorra appeared in the room with a static like sound that accompanied sonido. He eyed Grimmjow, emotionless. "So you can follow orders."

* * *

><p>Kensei lifted his eyes from the knife he had been cleaning, his eyes widening as there was a dramatic shift in spiritual pressure. "Did you guys feel that?"<p>

"Yeah," Shinji answered, removing his brown cap from his face and sitting up on the couch, scratching at his cheek as his face drew into a concerned frown.

"What do you think is happening?" Lisa asked, setting her magazine aside.

"I think Sayomi may have finally realized just what Aizen is capable of," Shinji answered solemnly.

Everyone in the warehouse went quiet. It was obvious by the declining strength of Sayomi's reiatsu that they could all feel along with the fearful reiatsu of the girl with her, that something massive had happened and Sayomi was in horrible shape because of it. Her health was rapidly declining and she likely wouldn't survive another fight, something that made several of them uneasy.

"What do we do?" Love questioned quietly, talking his sunglasses off to run a hand over his forehead.

"Nothing," Kensei answered and all heads turned to him in confusion, eyes wide and uncertain.

"But she's in bad shape, Kensei. If we do nothing she could die," Rose pointed out gently.

Kensei frowned and looked down at the knife he had been cleaning. "There are soul reapers here who are here just for her. If we interfere now we'll be giving ourselves up. Do you all really want to do that? Besides, I doubt we're the only ones who've noticed. Give it a minute and Sayomi will have help, what side they're on is going to be the biggest problem."

"You sure 'bout this?" Shinji asked. "She could end up being taken to Soul Society. It's actually highly likely that that is exactly what'll happen."

"She chose this, Shinji, she can deal with the consequences," Kensei answered blankly, though his face betrayed the tension he felt. He still loved Sayomi and he knew that she had had her reasons for doing what she did, but that didn't change the fact that he still felt angry and betrayed.

Shinji sighed bleakly, shaking his head before lying back down on the couch and putting his cap over his face.

* * *

><p>"Orihime, that bracelet.. take it off," Sayomi panted as they ran. She too pulled the small bangle that had been given to her to keep her invisible to humans off and tossed it behind her to leave in the darkness.<p>

'Something's wrong,' Sayomi thought, her face was pulled into a grimace as she ran just behind Orihime. One arm was still wrapped around her torso while Fuyukaze remained clutched tightly in her right hand.

She was panting and becoming dizzy from the loss of blood. her muscles were on fire as they protested against the immense pressure she was putting on them to go faster. Relief washed over her when a line of blue appeared before them. They were almost out of the garganta.

Her vision suddenly swam nauseatingly and she fell to her knees, a bone rattling cough making her eyes clench shut as pain washed over her and she sprayed the walkway in front of her with her own blood that was beginning to fill her lungs.

"Sayomi!" Orihime shouted worriedly, running to the fallen girl and kneeling next to her with a look of worry and concern written on her face.

"I..I can't," Sayomi gasped as a spasm of pain snaked through her entire body and she let out a quiet cry, clutching at her chest.

Orihime looked towards the opening she could see in the darkness, they really were so close to freedom. To home and friends who she hoped would help them. "Come on," the red head said defiantly, putting Sayomi's blood covered left arm over her shoulders and wrapping her arm around her before carefully lifting her from the ground.

Sayomi grunted, but tried her best to stay on her feet as Orihime helped to support her. Her vision was beginning to grow gray around the edges and everything kept going in and out of focus.

"Almost," Orihime said, her voice strained as she struggled to keep Sayomi upright.

The white haired girl was beginning to sag forward and her knees were giving out with every other step. The second they stepped through the opening of the garganta, Sayomi sighed and let her arm slip from around Orihime's shoulders. Fortunately, the exit was only a few feet above the ground and Sayomi's body crumpled into the grass of a deserted park.

"Sayomi!" Orihime shouted worriedly, throwing herself to her knees beside the wounded girl who was breathing in shallow gasps as her face began to pale. "Souten Kishun, I reject," she said hurriedly. "Please hang on, Sayomi."

"Orihime!"

Snapping her head around, Orihime smiled weakly at Ichigo as he ran up to them. She wasn't sure what Ichigo and the others felt towards Sayomi, especially since Renji had attacked her the day before.

"What happened?" He asked grimly as he stared down at Sayomi beneath the golden glow of Orihime's healing barrier.

"Gin's dead," Sayomi said shakily, tears forming in her eyes. "Aizen killed him. I tried to kill Aizen, but I.. I couldn't even touch him." She started coughing violently, blood spraying her hands as she covered her mouth.

"You shouldn't talk, Sayomi, let me heal you," Orihime pleaded.

"No, I-"

"Would you shut up and let her you heal you, you stubborn ass," Ichigo shouted. "Besides, how are you going to help us fight in the coming war if you're messed up like you are now, huh?"

Sayomi blinked at him, confused by the way he was acting. She had betrayed them, had had them attacked, attacked Urahara and he still wanted her help? It didn't make sense to her. She would have questioned it, but instead her vision grew blurry and everything went black before she could.

"Y-you mean you trust Sayomi?" Orihime stuttered.

"Of course. She was trying to kill Aizen and end the war, right? She just didn't ask for help, which really pisses me off, but she's still our friend," Ichigo replied.

"That's good," Orihime sighed, smiling softly. "She was really worried that everyone hated her."

"We might not all be happy with her, but I don't think any of us hate her."

Uryu and Chad arrived just a moment later and the three boys exchanged glances, but said nothing as they all watched Orihime try and heal Sayomi.

"What is it, Inoue?" Uryu asked having seen the frown that had appeared on her face.

"I...There's something stopping me from healing her. It's like...there's something mixing with the wound and I can't get it out."

"Just keep trying," Ichigo said, his voice taking on a steely edge as he turned around to see Byakuya and Renji standing only a few yards away. "What do you want, Byakuya?"

The nobleman's eyebrow rose in annoyance at the familiar use of his first name. "You know exactly why I'm here, Kurosaki. Now stand aside, Himura will be coming with me."

"I'm afraid that might not be the best idea," Kisuke said, stepping into the clearing the group was gathered in, Yoruichi at his side, the woman smiled brightly at the slight twitch that Byakuya gave upon seeing his old teacher.

"And why is that?" Byakuya asked coolly.

"Because if you take her as she is now, she'll die," Kisuke answered seriously.

"You make it sound as if I should care," the gray eyed man responded coolly.

"Come now, little Byakuya, even you aren't that coldhearted regardless of what you'd like everyone to think," Yoruichi said, her voice light and almost taunting.

"Whether she dies now or later is of no consequence to me. She will die, Yoruichi, as a traitor should," Byakuya replied.

"You bastard!" Ichigo yelled. "You two were engaged, weren't you? How can you sound so uncaring? And she isn't a traitor! Don't you know her at all?!"

Uryu cleared his throat quietly. "Didn't you think she was a traitor until just a few days ago, Kurosaki?"

"Oh, shut up, Uryu!"

"Kisuke, we need to get her out of here. If she stays like this much longer the damage might become irreversible," Yoruichi said, she had crouched down opposite Orihime to look over Sayomi.

"So what are you going to do, Captain Kuchiki?" Kisuke asked curiously. "Will you let us save her, or will you take her back to the Soul Society and watch her die?"

"Like hell he's taking her anywhere," Ichigo snapped, his hand going to the hilt of the large sword strapped to his back.

Byakuya looked the group over with a stone cold look before his eyes came to rest on the unconscious Sayomi who was bathed in a gold glow from Orihime's healing spell.

"You know," Renji spoke up hesitantly. "The head captain did say he'd prefer she be brought in alive."

"He did, didn't he?" Byakuya replied after a moment's silence. "It would be rather trying to question a corpse, wouldn't it? Fine, treat her, but once she is recovered enough I am returning to Soul Society and she will be coming with me."

"Like hell she is," Ichigo muttered defiantly.

* * *

><p>"So..do you know what's wrong with her, Mr Urahara?" Orihime asked nervously as Yoruichi carefully laid Sayomi on a mat on the wooden flooring of a room in the man's shop and home.<p>

Kisuke frowned, his eyes studying Sayomi thoughtfully. "Sayomi's soul isn't that of just a Soul Reaper, it's part Soul Reaper part Hollow. The reiatsu that is mixing with the wound is that of a very powerful Hollow that allowed his reiatsu to leak into her. The presence of the reiatsu is causing the balance she has learned to maintain between the two opposing life forces inside of her to become unstable. It's a dangerous situation for her, there's not much we can do. She'll have to try and restore the balance, but in her condition with her soul weakened it won't be easy."

"So you need to get that reiatsu out of her soul, right?" Ichigo asked. "Then she should be alright?"

Everyone was gathered in the room that Sayomi had been placed in. Ichigo, Uryu and Chad stood off to one side while Byakuya and Renji stood on the other. Orihime stood a few feet away from Sayomi, while Kisuke knelt by the woman's side, Yoruichi remained standing opposite him.

"It's not that easy," Kisuke replied, sighing while scratching idly at his cheek and staring at Sayomi's motionless body. "If she was just a soul, like most Soul Reapers and Hollow, it would be no problem, but.."

Uryu frowned, but then his eyes widened briefly. "I see... Sayomi is a Soul Reaper and a Hollow. She's not human, even though she looks like one."

"Huh?" Ichigo grunted. "I don't get it."

"When Sayomi fled Soul Society she was a Soul Reaper who had had her soul tampered with by Aizen's experimental pathogen. The pathogen began to awaken a Hollow in her soul, but that's not really the point, the point is that souls cannot be seen by humans, Ichigo. Sayomi is in a specially crafted gigai and has been since she's come to this world. Even though she doesn't age the same and she won't die easily, she is basically a normal human woman in that gigai," Kisuke explained.

"I still don't get it," Ichigo said. "Rukia and Renji have been in gigai before and they can use those mod souls or gloves to get out of them. Why can't you just do that with her?"

Kisuke frowned. "Like I said; It's not that simple. Sayomi's soul has been trapped in that gigai for almost a century. It's more than likely had enough time to bind itself to the gigai."

"Are you beginning to understand now, little Byakuya?" Yoruichi asked the silent captain, having seen his eyes flicker uncertainly.

"You don't know if you can separate her soul from the gigai," he answered monotonously.

"Right. There's a good chance that trying to separate the two could very well kill her, but if we don't try, she'll die anyways," Kisuke stated grimly.

The entire room went silent, the tension in the air could have been cut with a knife it was so thick. Kisuke finally stood up and glanced at everyone in the room.

"Orihime, I'll need your help. Yoruichi can stay too, but everyone else should leave. I don't know what condition her soul is in since it's been in the gigai so long and I also don't need any distractions," he said.

The room was silent and had emptied of several of its occupants. Orihime, was nervously sitting just behind the top of Sayomi's head while Kisuke and Yoruichi sat near the girl's feet, grim expressions on their faces. Byakuya, who had refused to leave, stood apart from them near to the wall where he could keep an eye on everything that happened. Tessai entered after a moment, a small box in his hands before kneeling down beside Kisuke.

"Are you ready, Orihime?" Kisuke asked.

She nodded, swallowing heavily as she tried to gather her nerves.

Kisuke frowned down at Sayomi, unfortunately there was no way to slowly ease her soul from her body. He could probably find one if he had the time, but time wasn't on their side. Sayomi needed attention now. Using his cane for support, Kisuke stood up and nodded to Tessai. The burly man stood and carefully lifted Sayomi from the mats she had been placed on. Yoruichi stepped forward and helped to hold the unconscious girl up, leaving the area behind her clear so that if her soul did separate from her body it would fall on to the mats that had been set out.

"Well, here goes," Kisuke said, pointing the end of his cane at Sayomi's chest, there was a little skull and flame painted on it. Slowly, he carefully raised it and pressed the end into the center of her chest.

There was startled gasp from Sayomi, her eyes flew open and she began struggling against the grips that held her firmly in place.

"Just hold on, Sayomi," Yoruichi muttered.

"Her soul isn't budging," Kisuke said, his mouth drawing into a hard line.

"Keep trying," Yoruichi told him.

Sayomi's head tilted back and she screamed as Kisuke pressed his cane harder into her upper chest. Her soul was determined to stay in its shell and not come out of it. Kisuke's eyes narrowed and he tired to apply more pressure to force the soul out of the fake body. There was a slight give and his eyes widened before he pulled back slightly and then slammed the end of the cane into Sayomi's chest again. There was a blinding flash of light that was followed by a dull thump.

Orihime immediately went into action, chanting the spell that would cover Sayomi in a healing golden glow. She couldn't quite see what had happened, her eyes were still recovering from the bright flash of light, but as she blinked repeatedly she saw that the Sayomi lying in front of her wasn't the same Sayomi she had moments ago been looking at. That Sayomi was held in Tessai's arms as the man carried her broken gigai out of the room.

The woman before her was almost identical to the Sayomi that she had always known, but there were a few minor differences. Her snowy hair was longer, falling almost to her hips. Her face looked more refined somehow and her body seemed thinner, but it was hard to tell since she was draped in a tattered shinigami uniform with a white haori over it.

"I...I can separate the other reiatsu now," Orihime spoke up, her eyes sparkling hopefully. "I think I can heal her. It's going to take a while though."

"That's good, but she's not in the clear yet. Her soul is probably extremely weakened since it was relying so heavily on the gigai to survive," Kisuke replied solemnly.

"She'll be fine, I know she will," Orihime said quietly, determinedly keeping her hands held out before her.

* * *

><p>Byakuya refused to leave the room that Sayomi was being kept in, saying that he didn't want to risk her waking up and running or having one of them move her in an attempt to hide her from Soul Society.<p>

No one fully believed him.

He was currently sitting against one of the walls, his back straight and his posture rigid as his gray eyes watched Orihime try to heal Sayomi. The determined young girl was beginning to grow tired. It was evident in the little beads of sweat that were forming on her forehead and the way her face was beginning to show signs of strain. He somehow doubted the girl would be able to keep it up much longer, but then again she had already been sitting by Sayomi's side for over four hours, refusing to stop trying to heal the woman she considered her friend. She was concentrating so hard on this that she never noticed the door slide open or the young man that entered the room and knelt beside her with a glass of water.

"So how is she?" Uryu asked.

Orihime squealed, jumping in fright and nearly knocking the water from Uryu's hand in her surprise.

"Oh, Uryu, you scared me," Orihime breathed, putting her hands to her chest.

"Sorry. I brought you some water."

"Thanks," Orihime said with a smile, taking the glass and gladly taking a drink of the cool liquid. "I think I've got almost all of that dark reiatsu out and the actual wound is starting to close up, but...she doesn't seem to be getting any better."

"Don't worry, Orihime, I'm sure she'll be fine. Sayomi is too stubborn to give up," Uryu reassured his teary eyed friend, glancing at the Kuchiki nobleman briefly who snorted and turned his head away arrogantly.

"I've been wondering," Orihime said quietly.

"What?" Uryu asked, blinking at the concerned Orihime.

"Why did Sayomi go to Hueco Muendo? She wouldn't tell me, but I know she was trying to do something that she felt she had to do. She had that same look as Ichigo sometimes..."

Byakuya kept looking out the window, but he listened for what the Quincy would say. For what excuse he would give to try and redeem the actions of a friend who had betrayed them and lied to them all.

"Originally, because she wanted to kill her brother, he was-"

"Gin Ichimaru, one of the former captains," Orihime finished. "I know, they spent a lot of time together. I always thought they got along, they seemed so close."

Uryu nodded before continuing. "She changed her mind at some point, and when the last time she was here she told Urahara that she didn't want to kill her brother anymore. She was going after Aizen instead and she would do whatever it took to kill him. It seems that he wanted Sayomi for himself, as a queen and Sayomi was going to give him exactly what he wanted so that she could get close enough to kill him. From what Ichigo said earlier it sounds like Aizen killed her brother. I'm guessing he was hoping that it would win Sayomi over, but.. What?" Uryu grumpily asked the nobleman that had turned to look at him with a thoughtful frown.

"That's impossible," Byakuya said evenly. "Gin Ichimaru was here when she came through that garganta."

* * *

><p>~AN~

Hello! Hello! I'm hoping that I edited this chapter well enough, I'm not feeling too well and I kept tweaking little things around. Anywho, come chapter 21 there is a lot of new content and more Byakuya/Sayomi interaction.

As always, a great big THANK YOU to all of my lovely and awesome readers and reviewers! You guys are the best. :)

If you're feeling generous please feed the review monster on your way out, thanks!


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach.

**Chapter 20**

**Points of View**

To be engulfed in a darkness so intense that you feel as if it will never end is not a very enjoyable sensation, regardless of whether you are alone or not. However, when you're trapped in that darkness with the side of yourself you would rather keep hidden from the world it's even less enjoyable.

Sayomi was trapped in her own world of never ending blackness. She had full use of all of her senses and her limbs, but there was no real point in using them. For though she could see, she could only see the deep black emptiness around her. There was nowhere to go, no one to talk to, nothing at all to see or hear or even feel. At first anyways, but over time she became aware of another a presence.

The first thing she became aware of was the sound of heavy chains clinking together quietly every few minutes, but the sound grew louder and more distinct over time. Not only could she hear the chains clearly, but she was now able to hear the distinct sounds of someone, or more accurately, some_thing_ breathing not more than fifteen feet in front of her. The breathing was heavier than would be normal for a human, but then Sayomi already knew that the thing she could hear _wasn't_ human. It was a demon she had long ago beaten into submission and had then chained down in the deepest corner of her mind, never to be set free again.

She remained sitting where she was in the midst of the darkness, waiting, her eyes trained on a spot in front of her. She felt an odd sort of pull in her chest that was accompanied by an intense amount of pain that made her hunch over, clutching at her chest and taking deep, wheezing breaths. Her body felt as if it were being torn in two. She cried out in pain and the sensation suddenly vanished to be replaced by a strange airy, light feeling that was oddly refreshing, but also discomforting because it made her feel weaker than she had felt in a very long time.

A strange golden glow began to permeate the darkness that she had settled herself into to and it didn't take long for the blackness to begin to lift as if it had been nothing more than a dense fog all along. As her surroundings lightened she kept her pale blue eyes focused on the same spot she had been staring at for however long she had been in the darkness.

The only common factor the being in front of her had with a human was the form it took, but that was it. The slanted, narrow feline like eyes that almost seemed to glow a blood red as they hungrily stared at Sayomi while sharp, pointed teeth smashed together in a snarl, were anything but human. As was the deathly white skin and the sharpened black nails on the hands that were more like claws as they flexed repeatedly in the being's lap. In some ways the thing resembled Sayomi. It was definitely female judging by the thinness of its body and the obvious curves beneath the tattered black robes it wore. There was also a resemblance in the structure of their faces and the color of their hair, but that was where the similarities ended.

Sayomi remained completely still, her chest rising and falling with every silent breath she took as she and the other woman locked eyes and simply stared at one another. She could feel the contempt that the animal like woman across from her had for her and she could feel her anger growing with every second that she stared into the red eyes that watched her just as intently as she was watching it.

A low rumble began to vibrate within the chest of the woman that was chained to the wall, her wrists and ankles in large, heavy iron shackles. The rumble became a growl as the creature began to lift herself from her sitting position into a sort of crouch. The chains scratched against the floor and groaned in protest as the woman tried to reach for Sayomi, snarling and growling like a rabid animal all the while.

Still Sayomi didn't move or make any sound as she kept her eyes on the demon in front of her.

There was a hiss of anger from the creature's lips before she again thrust a hand at Sayomi, but this time the metal plate holding the chains that held her right arm to the wall gave out, clattering loudly to the floor with the bolts that had held it in place.

Sayomi finally moved, but only to straighten her shoulders as her body began to grow tense. She didn't know what had happened or why she was suddenly being forced to sit with the creature she had long ago chained deep within her own mind, but she knew a battle of wills was unavoidable. And her battle was only just beginning.

* * *

><p>"I'm a bit confused," Gin admitted, his usual smirk gone as he stood before Aizen. His accented, but always polite tone echoed through the large and rather messy great hall. "Why is it that Sayomi believes you killed me?"<p>

"Because I did, Gin," Aizen replied the smallest hint of a smirk on his lips.

Gin frowned and cocked his head to the side. "I may be wrong, but didn't you want Sayomi to be your queen? If that were true then wouldn't ya want to make her trust you, not hate you?"

"She'll never trust me, Gin, you should know that by now and besides you don't like what I have planned for her, do you?"

"Can't say I'm pleased, she is my baby sister and all, but she's free to make her own decisions."

"And she'll choose me once she sees she has no other option."

"No other option?" Gin repeated.

"How was your sister when she made it into the living world, Gin? Did she seem alright?" Aizen asked.

Again Gin frowned and looked from Aizen to Ulquiorra who was beside him, still wearing the tattered and blood stained clothes he had worn when he had attacked Sayomi. "No, she seemed far from alright."

"Do you know what would happen to Sayomi if there was a direct attack on her soul? She's been living in a gigai for nearly a century, do you think that she could survive that?"

Gin remained silent for a moment, contemplating the words Aizen had said. "Only if the soul could be separated from the gigai, which could kill her instead."

"She won't die, Orihime won't let that happen," Aizen replied, a small smirk now apparent on his face.

"You let them leave? But Sayomi will be taken back to Soul Society and killed," Gin pointed out.

"Right, but they won't have a chance to kill her. We'll retrieve her before that, hopefully then she'll be a bit more well mannered."

The silver haired man made no attempt to reply, there was no point in replying. Sayomi would be made to look every bit the traitor everyone thought she was and then she really wouldn't have anywhere else to go but to Aizen and there was nothing he, a traitor himself could do about it. She would be forced to live her life beside a man who would just as soon torture her and play with her life and emotions for entertainment as he would take her body for his own, but he'd likely be gentle then and only then.

* * *

><p>"What?" Uryu asked, not sure he had just heard the Kuchiki correctly.<p>

"Gin Ichimaru was in the world of the living at the time she was coming through the garganta. There's no way she could have witnessed his death, he wasn't even in Hueco Muendo," the captain explained.

"That makes no sense though," Uryu replied, glancing down at Sayomi with a frown.

"It makes perfect sense," Byakuya countered evenly. "Aizen's zanpakuto has the ability of being able to make whoever sees its release see whatever he wants them to. It fools all the senses, she may very well have seen Aizen kill her brother, but it was nothing more than an illusion."

"But..but why?" Orihime stammered, saddened by the cruelty of the trick played on Sayomi. "Why would he do that to her?"

Byakuya sat silently for a moment, contemplating the reasons for Aizen to do such a thing to the woman he apparently wanted to make his lover. He couldn't come up with much, but he knew that the traitorous man was up to something and whatever it was Sayomi was a major player in it. Something told him that Sayomi had gotten in over her head, she may have had noble intentions, but she had obviously not realized just what Aizen had been capable of. The man had tried to murder his own lieutenant and wanted to recreate the King's Key in order to stand upon a throne no one had ever dared tried to take. He wasn't to be taken lightly, but Sayomi hadn't realized just how dangerous he was and now she was fighting for her life and sanity because of it.

"It's been two days, there's no sign she is ever going to wake up. Byakuya is getting impatient, he wants to take her back to Soul Society. Now," Yoruichi told Urahara as she took a seat opposite him at the little round table he was drinking a cup of tea at with Ichigo, Uryu and Renji.

"You know," he began slowly, cautiously, well aware that no one was going to like the suggestion he was about to make. "Letting him take her might not be such a bad idea."

"What the hell are you saying, Urahara?" Ichigo argued promptly, hands smashing down on the table causing tea to slosh out of his full cup. "They'll kill her!"

"No," Yoruichi spoke up, shaking her head and rubbing thoughtfully at her chin. "Not right away anyway. They want information and they won't kill her before getting it, though... They may kill her _while_ getting it."

"She needs to regain her strength and Soul Society is the best place for her to do that. There is an abundance of spirit particles and energy there after all," Kisuke said, continuing his train of thought in regards to his idea.

"But she'll be in danger there!" Ichigo argued.

"She's going to be in danger wherever she goes, Ichigo, which is why she needs to regain her strength," Uryu pointed out calmly.

"Yeah, but.."

"It doesn't matter what you think, Ichigo Kurosaki, she will be coming with me," Byakuya stated evenly, his gray eyes on the orange haired teen as he stepped regally into the small dining area. "We're leaving tonight, I'm not waiting any longer."

"You can't just take her!" Ichigo shouted, glaring heatedly at the stoic captain.

"Yes, I can. Sayomi is coming with me to Soul Society tonight, where she'll face whatever punishment the head captain deems fit for her treachery," Byakuya replied.

Ichigo slammed his hands down on the table, slopping tea and water from the cups onto its wooden surface. He looked around at everyone there to see if anyone would speak out, but no one did. Uryu pushed his glasses up on his nose and looked away while both Yoruichi and Kisuke studied their tea, Renji just sat there silently, but Ichigo hadn't expected much more than that from him, he had to follow orders after all. He shoved himself up from the table and began to walk out.

"Some friends you are," he grumbled at them before leaving.

He paid little attention to his surroundings as he walked, scowling at the ground and kicking the occasional rock or piece of trash from his path. When Ichigo finally came to a stop and looked around to see just where he was, he was fairly surprised to find himself standing in front of the warehouse that housed the Vizards. With a sigh, Ichigo scratched at his head and tried to figure out what to do now, he couldn't get through the barrier on his own and he somehow doubted that anyone would let him in. So it surprised him when he saw Shinji poke his head through a part of the barrier and nod towards where the warehouse stood.

Following after the blond silently, Ichigo stuck his hands in his pockets and took a look around to make sure no one was nearby. As soon as he walked into the old and dilapidated building, Ichigo could sense the tension and curiosity in the air as everyone gathered in the makeshift living area looked away from what they had been doing to stare expectantly at him.

"Uh, hey," Ichigo greeted lamely, not really sure what else to say as Shinji plopped down on the couch with an exaggerated sigh.

"So what's on your mind, Ichigo? I doubt you came all the way here just to say hey," Shinji observed.

"It's about Sayomi," he began uncertainly. He wasn't sure how everyone here felt about her, he knew Shinji believed her to be trustworthy still, but he also remembered the oddball saying that there were others who weren't too happy with her.

"What about her?" Hiyori grunted disinterestedly, picking some crumbs from her white shirt.

"She's being taken back to Soul Society tonight," Ichigo answered.

This seemed to peak several people's interest. Kensei straightened a little, while Lisa's eyes narrowed for a moment and Shinji cocked his head to the side to study Ichigo.

"The Kuchiki's takin' her?" Shinji inquired.

"Yeah."

"What exactly happened the other day, when she came back?" Shinji asked.

The teen shook his head. "I don't really know. She said that Aizen had killed her brother and she had attacked him, but only managed to wound him a little."

"But that's impossible, her brother was here in Karakura," Kensei said.

"I know. That's what Renji said, but she definitely thought he was dead."

"It was just an illusion. Aizen was playing her and she never saw it," Shinji spoke up a frown taking residence on his face.

"That's what everyone seems to think," Ichigo agreed. "But no one can figure out why she would have been so badly injured. It wasn't him to do it, it was a strong Hollow according to Urahara, probably an Espada member. If he really wanted her for a queen like she told Urahara, then why would he try to kill her? It doesn't make any sense."

"It might," Kensei replied, slowly. "You said it was a Hollow that attacked her and judging by what we all felt she was messed up pretty bad. How was she hurt?"

"There was a big hole in her chest and whoever attacked her poured a bunch of their reiatsu into the wound. That's what Urahara said anyway," Ichigo answered.

"A direct attack on her soul, huh?" Shinji mused, letting his head fall back onto the fading and torn cushions of the couch.

"But that would mean..." Kensei trailed off, his eyes widening as he stood quickly from the table, knocking over the chair he was in in his haste.

"Calm down, Kensei," Shinji drawled. "She ain't dead, you should be able to tell that much. Kisuke separated her soul from the gigai, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he said it was the only way to heal the damage."

"He's a fool," Kensei retorted, picking up the chair he knocked over and slumping into it. "He just did exactly what Aizen wanted."

"Huh?" Ichigo asked, his face twisting in confusion.

"Think about it, Ichigo. What good would Sayomi be to Aizen while in that gigai? He's a soul, she was essentially a human. Not exactly compatible if ya know what I mean," Shinji pointed out, lazily flapping a hand in the air.

"But...but then why hasn't he come to get her?"

"He's waiting for something," Lisa spoke up for the first time.

Everyone nodded their agreement with the glasses wearing girl.

"What?" Ichigo pressed.

"Probably for her to be taken back to Soul Society. It wouldn't be hard for him to get in and it would make Sayomi seem to be the traitor everyone there thinks she is. She'll have nowhere left to go, at least that's what he'll want her to think and she'll believe it," Kensei answered, his voice shaking with anger as he struggled to remain calm. He was pissed off at Sayomi for what she had done and even more pissed off that there was nothing any of them could do to help her, it would put them all at risk of being discovered by Soul Society and that was something they couldn't afford to do. A group of eight against the entirety of the Gotei 13 had very slim odds of succeeding.

"Then shouldn't we stop her from being taken to Soul Society?" Ichigo asked.

"'We'?" Shinji repeated.

"Well, yeah-"

"We can't do anything, it's too risky. If you want to stop him from taking her, that's on you," Kensei said.

"But you're her friends," Ichigo argued.

"Yeah, but she wouldn't want us tryin' to help her and put ourselves at risk. They won't kill her and Aizen will get her back before they have a chance to even try," Shinji replied seriously. "Sayomi's a big girl, Ichigo, she can take care of herself."

"Unbelievable," Ichigo snorted, shaking his head and glaring at the room full of people who had claimed to be friends of Sayomi's, but who wouldn't help her. "Fine," he snapped, turning on his heel and stomping towards the roll up door. "If no one else is going to help her, then I will."

"Good luck, Ichigo," Shinji sighed, pulling his hat over his eyes and folding his arms over his chest.

* * *

><p>Sayomi was still asleep when Ichigo returned to Urahara's. Orihime was sitting with her, staring sadly at her as the girl slept. She had brushed out Sayomi's long hair and braided it over her shoulder where it rested on a clean white sleeping robe she and Yoruichi had put on her, discarding the old and tattered uniform she had worn.<p>

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Orihime asked meekly, looking pleadingly up at Ichigo.

The boy frowned. "I hope so. Sayomi's pretty strong, she'll get through this, Orihime, don't worry."

"I know she'll be fine, but...do you really think that they'll kill her? She didn't do anything wrong."

"I know and I don't plan on letting them kill her. I'm going to Soul Society to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Then I'm going with you."

Both Ichigo and Orihime started slightly at the voice that had suddenly come from the doorway. Turning towards the door, they saw Uryu standing there casually.

"Why, I thought you didn't want to help her?" Ichigo asked harshly.

"I never said that," Uryu replied, walking into the room and sitting down on the wooden flooring a good distance away from the other three occupants of the room. "Urahara is right, Sayomi would likely heal more quickly in a place where there's more spirit energy and that's what she needs right now. I also know that if you go alone you'll just cause too much trouble and probably get the both of you killed, you need someone level headed there."

"I'll go too," Orihime chirped.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Uryu replied. "Soul Society was ready to write you off as a traitor too, it might be better to just lay low for a little while."

"He's right, Orihime, it's not safe for you to go there right now," Ichigo agreed.

Orihime looked down at her hands in that she had folded in her lap. Her thoughts drifting to how much of a burden she always was, even though she only wanted to help.

"But wait a sec," Ichigo said, a confused look crossing his face as he turned to Uryu. "You don't have any powers, you're kinda useless."

Uryu scowled darkly at his friend before straightening up and smugly pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I'll have you know, I got my powers back recently or did you not notice me being gone for most of the last few weeks?"

"I just figured you were out being a loner somewhere," Ichigo answered with a shrug.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no," Uryu replied moodily.

"Well excuse me," Ichigo drawled. "It's not like you told us what you were doing."

"It was none of your concern."

"Whatever."

"Why don't you two stop bickering like an old married couple," Yoruichi taunted from the door, sauntering inside with a cat like grin on her face as the two boys glared at her. "Say your goodbyes, Byakuya's ready to go."

It was several minutes later that Ichigo stood beside Uryu and Orihime with Kisuke and Yoruichi off to the side while Byakuya picked up the motionless white haired woman and his lieutenant thrust his zanpakuto into the air, part of the blade disappearing as he muttered a command under his breath. A set of sliding wooden doors appeared in front of the red head and as soon as they slid open to reveal another set, Byakuya turned towards the doors wordlessly and stepped through the first set with Sayomi in his arms, Renji followed a moment later and the doors slid shut with a quiet clack before disappearing entirely.

"So," Kisuke said conversationally, grinning knowingly at Ichigo. "I take it you want me to get you back into Soul Society, right?"

"Yeah, I'm not going to let them kill her for something stupid. She's not a traitor and it wasn't her choice to become..something else," Ichigo replied determinedly.

* * *

><p>Head Captain Yamamoto had been expecting the arrival of Byakuya, Renji and Sayomi, so it was no surprise to the old man when the wooden doors of a senkaimon appeared several feet in front of his large, neat desk. His silver haired lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe stood beside him silently as the doors slid open to reveal two men, one of which was carrying a small white haired girl in his arms. Since this too was expected, the old man behind the desk nodded minutely to someone who was standing off to the side of the room.<p>

A woman with long black hair that was twisted into a braid over her chest in a long white haori bowed slightly and turned to walk to the large set of double doors, opening one she gestured to three people who stood outside. One was a young woman with short silvery hair and a white sash tied around her left arm, she was followed by two nervous looking young men who were pushing a padded gurney. They avoided looking at the old and wrinkled, but still quite intimidating, head captain as they scurried towards the Sixth Division captain who was carrying the unconscious girl they were to take to a special cell within the First division that was reinforced with seki seki stone to not only keep Sayomi from being able to sense spirit energy, but from using any as well.

Placing Sayomi on the gurney, Byakuya remained silent as the Fourth Division's lieutenant and the two pushing the gurney walked out of the room, but not before captain Unohana looked over her quickly and put a gentle hand above her brow. There was a small green glow, but nothing else seemed to happen. The whole thing was just to ensure that Sayomi would remain asleep while she was transported to the cell since it was impossible for her lieutenant and other squad members to even try to stand against the former captain.

"From the reports the Twelfth Division have given me in your recent contact with them I've been able to gather that the former Tenth Division captain has been in that state for several days," Yamamoto began, his voice carrying through the entire large room that was his office. "I also understand that you allowed her to be treated by Kisuke Urahara instead of bringing her here immediately. Why?"

Captain Kuchiki didn't blink or falter under the slight amount of irritation the old man before him was giving off. "Urahara believed that bringing her immediately would have killed her in the state she was in which would have made it impossible to get any information from her."

"I see," Yamamoto replied. "Do you think she'll wake up, Unohana?"

"I need to have a better look at her, but as far as I can tell she's just too weak at the moment. Her soul has sustained quite a bit of damage," the captain answered in her soft voice.

"I don't want her moved from the cell she's been assigned. Have Soi Fon assign guards to watch her at all times, it would probably also be best to have her spirit energy completely repressed."

Unohana was dismissed shortly after as was Renji, leaving Byakuya alone with the head captain and his lieutenant. The black haired noble fully expected to be reprimanded for taking his time in bringing Sayomi to the Soul Society, he knew that Yamamoto wasn't pleased with the wait, but at the same time if the old man wanted information from Sayomi, which Byakuya knew she would willing give, then the man had to be patient. Patience, however was running thin in the Seireitei.

"I understand that you saw Gin Ichimaru while in Karakura Town," Yamamoto stated.

Byakuya nodded stiffly. "Yes, he had been sent there by Aizen to apparently find out how far along Urahara was on building the pillars."

"You don't believe that was the reason he was there though, do you?"

"No. It is my opinion that he was sent away from Las Noches so that Aizen could lure Sayomi in to a trap, she believes her brother is dead and that Aizen killed him."

"And you will let her continue to believe that," Yamamoto said, his scratchy voice ringing with authority. "She is an abomination and after she has given us what we want, she will be dealt with. She joined Aizen of her own free will, she is a traitor Captain Kuchiki, don't forget that. You may go."

Knowing better than to say anything further since he was clearly being dismissed, Byakuya bowed and turned to leave the room. He wanted to uphold the laws of Soul Society, protect them like he had promised his parents, but as a certain orange haired annoying teen had reminded him, the laws weren't always right. He had begun to believe what everyone else at the Urahara Shoten had believed, Sayomi wasn't a traitor. She was just too stubborn and headstrong for her own good.

* * *

><p>How much time had passed, Sayomi had no idea, but she could sense that she was growing weaker while the woman, that had crouched down to leer at her, was growing stronger. As if sensing her thoughts, the woman started tugging at the chain that held her right ankle. There was a loud snapping sound before another deep chuckle echoed through the area, that was followed by the sound of something falling to the floor.<p>

Trying to remain completely relaxed, Sayomi watched the woman stand up, smirking over its shoulder at her now that not only was her right arm no longer bound to the wall even if the chains were still attached, but her right leg was now free. Testing out her new amount of freedom the woman took a step towards Sayomi who impassively remained on the floor. Not able to get much closer to her prey, the creature growled in spite, straining to move forward despite the bonds that still held her. The chains creaked against the pressure they were being put under, bending and warping until finally the link that was attached to the shackle on her left arm snapped.

Sayomi was beginning to grow tense as she sat there, motionlessly watching the demon she had banished from her mind slowly coming free of her bonds. However, at the moment, she was powerless and she knew it. Her energy was draining away, it was like she had been bitten by a vampire who instead of taking her blood was draining all of her strength. She kept all of her senses and her awareness and she was aware that it wouldn't be much longer before the thing in front of her that had gone back to pacing would be completely free and she could also sense that she wouldn't last long in a fight with her and that was when she began to start fidgeting restlessly.

* * *

><p>~AN~

I was bored and that chapter was already finished so... Here ya go. Hope you enjoyed it. As mentioned in the last chapter the chapter following this will be where this veers away from the story line of the original 'Night Beauty' story. I'm still working on the chapters and details that will follow so updates might begin to be less frequent. Plus, classes are about to start again and I'm taking 6 classes, I'm gonna be a little preoccupied with not dying of papercuts from all of my books and homework.. I'm hoping to have a decent outline of the rest of the story finished soon though so that I don't lose track of how this is supposed to go from here.

Anywho, thank you thank you thank you thank you! To all of readers and monster feeding friends. You, as always, are the best of the best and deserve cookies. Or brownies if you don't like cookies. Or maybe cupcakes, everyone likes cupcakes, right?

Monster needs feeding, please... :)


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer – I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 21**

**Bait**

Three nights had past since Sayomi had been taken to Soul Society and still she slept, giving no sign of ever waking. Ichigo and Uryu had arrived shortly after Sayomi had been placed in her cell, they were spending most of their time with their friend and the rest at the Kuchiki manor with Rukia, much to Byakuya's annoyance. The noble didn't have much time to spare for his uninvited visitors though, he was too caught up in the reports that were coming and going concerning Sayomi's capture and the circumstances surrounding it.

It was a cool and quiet night, the moon was just a small sliver of white in the sky and the stars shined brightly in the velvety blackness above. There was a soft wind sighing through the streets and walkways of the Sixth Division as Byakuya stepped out of his office, his black hair getting caught up in the wind and blowing out behind him. Adjusting his scarf, the man took a single step and disappeared.

"You come here almost every night, Captain Kuchiki, but you never say anything to her. Why is that?" Captain Unohana asked quietly as she stepped up beside her fellow captain, her tiny hands clasped in front of her as the two gazed through the bars of the cell that housed Sayomi's unconscious body.

"I have nothing to say to her."

"Then I wonder why you go through the trouble of looking in on her," Unohana replied with a small, knowing smile before nodding to a guard that stood off to the side who bustled forward to unlock the cell door for the healer.

Byakuya remained silent as he watched the gentle woman take a seat beside Sayomi and lay a small hand on the sleeping woman's brow. There was a small twitch of Sayomi's hands and a small groan that made Unohana withdraw her hand and stand up to get a better look at the woman on the bed.

"Sayomi, can you hear me?" Unohana asked softly.

Sayomi's eyes squeezed shut even tighter than they already were and her hands fisted around the blankets that covered her. Another groan leaked from her lips and she tossed her head to the side, away from Unohana.

Looking over her shoulder, Unohana spoke to the man who had yet to leave. "Maybe you should say something, Captain Kuchiki. You two were close once, maybe she'll wake for you."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but as I said; I have nothing to say," Byakuya replied evenly.

There was a soft whimper from Sayomi as she writhed in the bed she was laid out upon. It was a moment after she had begun writhing that a single tear slipped from beneath her closed eyelids. This didn't escape Byakuya's notice, but he pretended not to have seen it and turned away from the two women in the cell and left.

Captain Unohana sighed as he left, he wasn't as unreadable as he thought he was. He was worried about what would happen to the woman he had once loved and in truth, so was she. She agreed with Ukitake that it just didn't seem fair for her to be persecuted for something she had no control over, but it wasn't her place to question the orders of those above her.

Sayomi didn't wake that night, but she was more active than she had been. She tossed and turned all night, whimpering or crying out every so often. Her forehead was covered in a thin film of sweat, a reaction from the bad dreams and visions that were plaguing her. Unohana sat with her all night, patting her forehead with a cool cloth and talking soothingly to her in an attempt to try and get the girl to wake, but to no avail.

* * *

><p>There was a vague awareness, a sort of odd sensation of distant sounds and voices that made some part of her ache. A part of her that was slowly creeping up on her. She had been trying to ignore the slowly returning awareness, the voices, the feelings and emotions they stirred up inside of her. She had to focus on other things, she couldn't afford to let herself get distracted. It could mean her death and she wasn't ready to die yet, not here, not because of the monster that was restlessly pacing in front of her, snarling and growling in frustration as she kept her dark eyes locked on her prey. On Sayomi.<p>

Those eyes were empty. Hollow and yet somehow filled with a palpable rage that made Sayomi shiver. This was the part of herself that she hadn't been able to forget for nearly a century, the part of her that had been born because of Aizen's meddling. It should never have been brought to life, but it had and now she had deal with consequences of what it meant to have a hungry beast that wanted to devour her soul inside of her.

There had been several presences that had come and gone while she sat and watched the inhuman woman pace in agitation. Some had been warm, full of hope and life, and some had been cold, closed off and another that had been chill and distant, yet oddly sad and worried. It was this presence that bothered her the most. She wanted it to go away, to leave her alone and to stop making her feel so immensely lost and alone. It was unlikely that's what the person wanted, but she couldn't help but to feel a pang of sorrow anytime they were near her. It was distracting and she didn't like it, she didn't need to be feeling sorry for herself, she needed to be feeling strong and immovable.

Time had meant nothing to her in the darkness, minutes, hours, months, even years could have passed, but she had no idea and no way of knowing. All she knew was that sometime ago the feeling of being drained of all her energy had stopped. She felt more stable, more like herself, but something was still wrong. She didn't feel as if she was getting any stronger, just as if she were becoming lighter and more alert, more alive.

As time passed the feeling only grew and she began to sense other things in the darkness, not harmful, evil things though. Over time she realized what she was sensing wasn't several things, it was one thing, one being. She closed her eyes, a soft smile on her lips as a chill breeze kissed her cheeks and played with her hair.

"Fuyukaze, it's nice to see you." She opened her eyes and looked up to smile at the beautiful man that now stood in front of her.

The man's blue tinged lips lifted lightly, his swirling gray blue eyes softening. "You didn't think I'd just leave you, did you, silly child? You'd be lost without me."

She knew he was teasing her and she shook her head with a quiet chuckle. "Of course I would, Fuyu."

Glancing over his shoulder, long white hair falling into his face, Fuyukaze frowned. It was an unrelentingly bitter and cold look that was out of place on him and made Sayomi shiver again. The movement caught his attention and her turned back to Sayomi, eyes concerned and thoughtful. "You can't fight her now."

"...I know," she answered, neutrally, evenly.

"Then what do we do, Sayomi?"

She glanced up at him, curious. "You don't often forget to add a hime or sama, or little, Fuyukaze... Worried, are we?"

A playful scowl flickered across his face, but faded into a casual, aloof and somewhat arrogant smirk. "What is there to be worried about, Sayomi-_sama_? You have a knack for getting out of even the most dire situations. Must be that annoying stubbornness of yours." He poked her in the forehead, smiling innocently when she smacked his hand away with a glare and muttered insult. "So shall we?"

Her blue eyes fell on the pale hand that was being held out to her, she followed the arm to the shoulder and then met Fuyukaze's eyes. There was a sparkle like a winter frost in those eyes, she chuckled and gave a nod. "Sure, why not?" Taking his hand, she let herself be hefted to her feet.

* * *

><p>Both Uryu and Ichigo showed up not long after the sun had risen over the Seireitei. Soul Reapers were busy rushing to and fro in order to get their day's work started as the two made their way to the white washed building that Sayomi was being held in. There were masked guards everywhere and both boys knew that it was likely there were several more hidden throughout the area to watch over the former Soul Reaper that was being locked in the building they had just entered.<p>

"Good morning, Captain Unohana," Uryu greeted politely as he and Ichigo approached the cell Sayomi was in.

"Oh, good morning," the woman replied, turning to smile kindly at them. "I'm glad you two are here."

"Is she alright?" Ichigo asked quickly.

"She's fine, but she's been tossing and turning all night. I believe she's trying to wake up, but she needs a little help from someone she knows. Perhaps the two of you would sit and talk with her? I have some things I need to attend to."

"We'll stay with her," Uryu replied.

"Good, I'll let the guards know and have Isane check on you soon," Unohana said, standing from the chair she had been in all night. "She seems to be having some bad dreams and that's nothing to worry about, but if she wakes up or begins to get feverish tell the guards immediately."

"Will do," Ichigo nodded, entering the cell with Uryu as Unohana was let out. He frowned when they were locked in, but he hadn't expected them to just leave the door open either.

Uryu took the seat beside Sayomi while Ichigo sat down on the ground, crossing his legs and leaning into the cold stone wall.

"So...what are we supposed to talk about? It's not like we have any good things to tell her," Ichigo said, propping his chin up with the palm of his hand.

"Except we do. Her brother, remember?"

"Yeah, but I don't think that's a good idea. We were told not to tell her about that," Ichigo replied.

"Since when do I take orders from Soul Reapers?" Uryu sniffed haughtily.

"Whatever, but it's probably best we don't tell her anyways. Everyone else here is going to let her think he's dead. It would make us look like liars if we said otherwise."

"You're forgetting that she actually trusts us."

"No she doesn't," Ichigo shot back. "If she trusted us she wouldn't have gone off to Hueco Muendo all on her own and she would have told us what was going on. Orihime even said she thinks we all hate her, she's not going to believe us."

"She may not believe you, but she'd believe me," Uryu retorted.

"Yeah, whatever," the orange haired teen sighed.

There was a small sound from the girl on the bed and both boys whipped their heads towards her. Her brows had drawn together and beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, her hands were clenching while her lips moved almost imperceptibly.

"Sayomi?" Uryu asked quietly.

There was no answer except for a flicker of movement behind her closed eyelids.

"Sayomi, can you hear me?" Uryu continued.

"Wake up, dumbass," Ichigo urged, prodding at Sayomi's shoulder. "We're all waiting for you so hurry up. That thing in there is no match for you, right? You beat me for crying out loud and I was damn near completely hollowified."

"Shut.. up," Sayomi grumbled quietly, her lips pulling into a frown.

Uryu and Ichigo exchanged looks of surprise. Had Ichigo's taunts really gotten to her? Was she really still trying to win against the creature in her mind that Urahara had told them about? Was she losing? Was that why she couldn't wake up?

"You can win, Sayomi," Ichigo said strongly, surely. "Now stop taking your time and wake the hell up."

Her pale lips moved again, but there was no sound this time.

"Can you hear me, Sayomi? Can you open your eyes?" Uryu prodded gently.

Her face twitched, her lips pulling into what looked like a frown before she relaxed and her blue eyes fluttered open as she sucked in a large gulp of air. She blinked several times to clear the fog that had settled over her though her thoughts remained muddled and confused. She could hear two people talking, but their voices were distant, like they weren't even in the same room. Struggling to pull herself out of the darkness that had been her world for several days, Sayomi let her eyes focus on the blurry image in front of her. When her vision cleared enough for her to make out that there was someone looming extremely close to her face her eyes widened in surprise and she tried to scoot away, but ended up smashing her head into the person's nose instead. There was a shout of pain followed by a string of curses and a sigh that sounded very familiar to her.

Looking around again now that her vision was a bit clearer, Sayomi was extremely confused to find herself in a sort of cell with two people who looked very familiar.

"Uryu? Ichigo?" She questioned shakily.

"You're awake," Uryu said with a smile.

"About damn time," Ichigo grumbled, rubbing at his nose with a sour look on his face.

She tried to push herself up, but couldn't find the strength to get herself more than a few inches from her pillow before she collapsed again. With a groan she attempted to raise a hand to her forehead to wipe away the sweat she could feel there, but she froze, her eyes staring at her wrist with a mix of uncertainty and realization. There was a red band strapped to each of her wrists and it didn't take her long to figure out their purpose, she felt her throat then and wasn't surprised to feel that there was also a thin band there as well.

"Sayomi."

Gasping, she turned to stare wide eyed at Uryu, trying to speak, but only able to move her mouth and not form any words as she took in the cell she was in more fully. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in and tried to summon even the smallest amount of spiritual energy, but failed. She almost panicked, it had been a very long time since she had been without some way to defend herself and not being able to feel any of her spirit energy was quite disconcerting.

'Fuyukaze,' she whispered into the recesses of her mind.

'_I'm still here, little hime, now just calm down_,' the familiar airy and masculine voice assured her.

Sayomi breathed out in a rush, relief flooding her at the sound of her most trusted friend's voice. 'We're home again, aren't we?'

'_Yes, little one, we're home again_.'

"Ichigo, tell the guard to get Unohana," Uryu said worriedly when Sayomi wouldn't respond to his repeated tries to get her attention.

"So," Sayomi said when she reopened her eyes, startling both Uryu and Ichigo with the sound of her voice. She no longer sounded weak and shaky, but she did sound completely blank as she sat up with a small wince. "When am I scheduled to die?"

All the two in the cell with her could do was blink at her, they didn't know how to reply to the abrupt question or the way she suddenly seemed completely different from the person they knew. She was too closed off and cold in the way she sat there watching them with no emotion at all. Before Uryu could even try to say that they had no intention of letting her die, they were interrupted by Captain Unohana who had been summoned to the cell by the guards as well as the First Division's lieutenant, Sasakibe.

"I'm glad to see that you're finally awake, dear, how do you feel?" Unohana asked, gently brushing past Ichigo and Uryu.

Sayomi stared at the woman evenly, but refused to answer her question as she looked over at Sasakibe who was watching her closely, studying her.

"I don't understand something.. Byakuya was in the living world when I arrived, wasn't he? I was already half dead, why is it that I'm still alive if his orders were to kill me?" Sayomi asked, ignoring the question she had been asked.

"His orders were not to kill you," Sasakibe answered her seriously.

"Really? Why is that?" Sayomi asked in mock confusion, her lips twisting into a small scowl.

"You're more useful alive," the man replied.

"And what makes you think I'll want to be of use to you when you plan on killing me regardless of whether or not I'm useful?" Sayomi countered challengingly.

"What makes you think you have a choice?" Another voice answered coolly.

Sayomi took in a small breath before letting her blue eyes drift to the figure of the man that had just walked up to the bars of her cell.

"Hello, Byakuya," she said stiffly after a short silence, her blue eyes meeting his stony gaze coldly.

"Sayomi," the man replied, inclining his head to her slightly in a mocking gesture of respect.

Gritting her teeth, she turned her head away and refused to acknowledge anyone else. Choosing instead to block them out and focus on the dull gray stone walls of her prison. She knew what it meant for her to be back in Soul Society and she knew that she likely wouldn't live much longer and part of her honestly didn't care anymore. Her eyes stared at the walls that she knew were reinforced with Seki Seki stone, she could feel the shackles and the choker on her throat and the effect they were having on her already weakened spirit energy. It had been such a long time since she had been in her true form as nothing more than a soul that she was weak and felt strange, her usually extremely sensitive senses were practically useless and it made her uncomfortable.

"Inform Captain Yamamoto that she is awake, she'll likely need to be moved to a more suitable location," Sasakibe told one of the masked guards.

Sayomi scowled, she knew what he meant by more suitable. Somewhere where even the smallest amount of spirit energy she could still feel would be useless, somewhere that would render her completely and utterly helpless.

"That won't be necessary," a gravelly and aged voice said from behind the gray haired man.

The new arrival drew Sayomi's attention away from the wall, her blue eyes searched for the source of the voice, her head rising and her shoulders squaring almost instinctively. She saw the bearded and wrinkled old man walk forward with the help of his knobby wooden staff and take up a spot between Sasakibe and Byakuya, his hooded eyes firmly planted on Sayomi's still body.

"The charges against you are quite serious, Sayomi Himura. Treason and desertion, among other things," the old man said evenly.

"Captain Yamamoto, do you not mean to move her from this cell?" Sasakibe asked.

"I believe that she'll behave and do as she's told. Won't you, former squad Ten captain and heiress to the Himura lands and fortune, Sayomi Himura?"

Sayomi's hands clenched in her lap, but she took a deep breath and respectfully lowered her eyes and dropped her head. "Yes, Head Captain Yamamoto."

"Sayomi..."

She looked up at Uryu and smiled forlornly before lowering her gaze back to the floor.

"I remember her being quite dedicated to her mother and father, I don't believe she'd like to disgrace them or their name further," the Head Captain said firmly.

Her her lips pursed and her teeth ground together at the mention of her adoptive parents and the rather callous remark, but Sayomi said nothing as tears pricked at her blue eyes and she stubbornly refused to let the hurt that remark had caused her show.

"Summon all of the captains and their lieutenants. It's time Ms. Himura was reintroduced to them." Yamamoto turned stiffly away from them all and took his leave.

* * *

><p>Sayomi walked with her head held high and with as much of a noble air as she could manage despite the fact that her hands were bound together behind her back. A band of yellow light connected the red bands on her wrists together and four more of the same yellow rope like objects sprouted from the red band around her neck. The end of each rope was held by a man in white robes with their faces covered as they walked around her. They were walking to the great hall in the Court of Pure Souls where all of the captains and lieutenants were now gathered.<p>

It was meant to be a walk of shame in which she was paraded in front of the people whom she had once been allied with, people who cared about her, but now thought of her as nothing but a traitor. She was in nothing more than a flimsy white robe and obi and her feet were bare. The only embellishment was her bracelet that no one had apparently thought to take and that she had no intention of parting with.

She took a small breath as they approached the large set of gleaming white doors that led in to the hall and held herself just a little taller as they began to swing open. The room was long with a sort of platform at the far end that the old head captain stood upon, bent over his wooden staff that he was never without. The long walkway between the door was lined on either side with the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13. Sayomi didn't fail to notice that three captains were missing, their spaces yet to be filled so only their lieutenants stood in the spot where their captains should have stood.

One of the solitary lieutenants caught her eye, a young man with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He had several tattoos on his face. It was the tattoo on his left cheek that drew her attention, a large number 69. It struck her as odd and reminded her of the 69 on Kensei's abdomen, she knew his reasons for getting the number tattooed on his body, but she wondered why the young man would have the same number tattooed on his cheek. It seemed like an odd coincidence.

Several of the people in the room she recognized. Captains Ukitake and Kyoraku for instance, both of whom she managed weak smiles for, chuckling to herself when Kyoraku winked at her and tipped his straw hat at her. This earned him a sideways glance from his lieutenant, who she couldn't help but feel was familiar to her also. She saw Matsumoto who was watching her sadly and the young man that stood with her, part of Sayomi didn't even think the boy could be called a young man, he didn't look to be over fifteen. She blinked at him, realizing that if Matsumoto was beside him he had to be the captain of the Tenth Division. She remembered seeing him in Karakura town when she had gone the first time to see Urahara under Aizen's orders and she remembered noting that he was in fact a captain, but it hadn't fully registered at the time. She was struck by the fact that the boy had white hair and very bright teal-green eyes that seemed to be regarding her as if she were just a nuisance and he had better things to be doing than being stuck in a room with a traitor.

She stopped walking when she was directly in front of the boy, her icy blue eyes locking onto his. She saw Matsumoto fidget, but the busty woman didn't say anything as Sayomi studied the boy. "What's your name, boy?" Sayomi inquired in a demanding and arrogant voice, smirking inwardly when the boy gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya," he answered stiffly.

Sayomi sniffed pompously. "And since when do they allow children to become captains?"

Hitsugaya glared at her, growling softly, but doing nothing else as her guards tried to tug her forward once again.

"Hey, Ukitake," Captain Kyoraku called in a mock conspiratorial whisper to his old friend who hummed and looked over at the other captain in his flowery pink haori. "Is it just me, or do those two look like they could be related? I mean, white hair, both are short and-"

"Who are you calling short?" Both Sayomi and Hitsugaya snapped at the man only to end up glaring at each other again.

"Same short temper," Kyoraku chuckled.

"You do have a point, Shunsui, however, I don't think now is the time," Ukitake replied, nodding towards where Yamamoto stood, patiently it seemed, waiting for Sayomi to be brought before him. However, judging by the slight flicker of annoyance in the reiatsu that he had just released he was anything, but patient at the moment.

"We are not here to talk amongst ourselves, we are here to discuss what to do with the traitor that now stands before you," Yamamoto proclaimed, his reiatsu flaring momentarily to display his displeasure.

The sudden rise in reiatsu, though it wasn't significant, was still enough to make Sayomi who was weak and unable to call upon any of her own take a deep breath in surprise. She forgot about the white haired boy beside her and let herself be led to the center of the room to stand before the aged head captain. Her four guards remained in place around her as she proudly squared her shoulders and took a calming breath while evenly looking at Yamamoto.

"Sayomi Himura, you already know of the charges against you as does everyone present," Yamamoto began, addressing the entire room with a voice that sounded worn and aged. "You are here to provide us with information about the traitors Sosuke Aizen, Kaname Tosen and Gin Ichimaru. If you do not cooperate we will find another method with which to get answers from you, do you understand?"

Sayomi nodded her head obediently. "Yes, Captain Yamamoto."

"Good, then we'll get straight to the point. What do you know of Aizen's plans?"

"Very little," Sayomi replied honestly. "I know he intends to attack the four pillars that Kisuke is building and that he plans on doing what no one else has ever dared and try to sit upon the heavens as a supreme ruler. I don't know any specifics though."

"I find that hard to believe since he wanted to take you as his queen," Yamamoto challenged.

"With all due respect, you may believe what you want, sir, but it's the truth. He didn't trust me, he never gave me any information, just orders."

"Why would he give you orders if he didn't trust you? Why would he want you as his queen if he didn't trust you?" A short, thin dark haired woman asked harshly.

Letting her eyes corner over to the woman who had spoken, Sayomi saw that she was a captain, one who looked very familiar. "Soi Fon, wasn't it? He wants a trophy, not a comrade. An obedient and submissive plaything was all he wanted. I would have had little to no power, I would only have the respect of his pets, so long as I had proven myself to them. That's why he gave me orders, not because he trusted me, but because he needs me to be respected and accepted."

"If that's so then it makes no sense that he would provoke you into attacking him. Wouldn't that only make his pets resentful instead of respectful?" Soi Fon shot back.

Sayomi stared at the small woman evenly. "You don't know Aizen, but then again neither did I and I've obviously severely underestimated him. The man is manipulative beyond belief, he knew what my reaction would be to seeing my brother dead at his feet while his sword still dripped blood. There's also the fact that the rooms in Las Noches are.. Programmable for lack of a better word. It wouldn't have been hard to have the room we were in altered so that no one would have realized what was happening inside of it. Same goes for the movable hallways."

"Why would he go through all of that trouble?" The young Captain Hitsugaya asked.

Sayomi shrugged. "Who knows why that man does anything? He's not exactly all that easy to understand."

"The same can be said of you. You betrayed all of your friends to join Aizen, yet many of them seem to believe that you didn't betray them, that you were only trying to kill your brother as revenge for his part in Aizen's experiments. Yet you you didn't kill him and you told Urahara on your second visit to his shop to collect information that you no longer planned on killing your brother. If you had changed your mind then why stay with Aizen? Why not leave?"

Turning her head to look over her shoulder to look at the man who had spoken, Sayomi couldn't entirely hide the hurt in her eyes when they met Byakuya's.

"I had changed my mind, but... You of all people should remember how much Gin meant to me, Byakuya. I loved him, he raised me and took care of me even though I was nothing but a burden as a child and so I gave him a chance to explain. To tell me why he had betrayed Soul Society, why he had joined Aizen and why he tried to kill me that night on that field. In the end, I could understand some of his reasons and I couldn't bring myself to hate him anymore. He made choices I wish he hadn't, but there's nothing I can do about that now no matter how much I wish I could. The choice he made to betray Soul Society, to help Aizen isn't something I can forgive, and I know it can't be forgiven, but.. I love him, he's my brother and he was manipulated and used... He was turned into something that he isn't and I blame Aizen for that. He made my brother, my once caring and loving brother a killer and a traitor, it's Aizen I want dead. I want him to pay for what he's done to Gin, to me and to countless other innocent souls. He's responsible for so much suffering and he needs to be stopped, he needs to pay for what he's done."

"She must be lying," a high pitched, strange sounding voice said.

Switching her attention from Byakuya to the masked captain of the Twelfth Division, Sayomi remained quiet. It didn't matter what she said, she already knew she wouldn't be believed and she knew that in the end, she'd pay the ultimate price for it. Too many people here feared things they didn't understand, she was one of those things and Soul Society had never been known for easily accepting anything that wasn't ordinary in their eyes.

"She obviously wants us to believe that she's not the traitor that she is. I say you hand her over to me, her make up is unique and I'd like to perform a few tests. I'm sure I could have her talking in no time," the captain finished.

"That won't be necessary, Captain Kurotsuchi," Yamamoto replied. "So far her words are consistent with the reports I have been given. That isn't to say that I believe her... Another question, the eight others that disappeared that night are they still alive and if so where are they?"

Sayomi ignored the question, instead choosing to focus her attention on the marble flooring. Her fists clenched and her breathing became strained as a heavy pressure began to push upon her lungs. The head captain was quite serious about getting an answer and the longer Sayomi refused to give it to him, the heavier the pressure on her chest became until she fell to her knees, sweat coating her forehead as she grimaced from the pain, panting for breath as she continued to stare at the flooring.

"Answer me."

"No," she hissed between her clenched teeth. "You plan on killing me regardless of what information I give you, right? There's no reason for me to tell you whether or not the others survived. You want answers from me? Then try negotiating." Sayomi gritted her teeth together to keep from crying out as the pressure on her body intensified and all air was knocked from her lungs. She felt as if her body were being crushed beneath the weight of an entire ocean. After several more agonizing moments the pressure subsided and Sayomi sucked in a deep breath, some color beginning to instantly return to her deathly pale cheeks. Her entire body felt weak and she was trembling as if she had been encased in ice. She could hardly move as she panted and gasped for breath on the cold tile of the hall.

"I see you have decided to be difficult, then so be it. Take her bracelet and return her to her cell, the rest of you are dismissed," Yamamoto ordered.

Sayomi's eyes widened at the command and she looked up to see that none other than Byakuya was walking towards her. It struck her as ironic that the very man who had been there to help her tie the bracelet on for the first time would be the same one to take it from her. She eyed him wearily, holding her hands to her chest. She wouldn't give Fuyukaze up, not without a fight. The fact she would lose that fight in a second since she was powerless with all of her reiatsu being sealed by the bands on her wrists and neck, didn't matter to her. She wouldn't let her only friend go willingly.

"Let me see your wrist," Byakuya demanded calmly, looking down at the girl on the floor who was stubbornly glaring at him. "Sayomi, either you give me the bracelet willingly-"

"Go to hell," she hissed bitterly.

Sighing, the nobleman stepped forward. The room was clearing out, the only people left were a concerned looking Captain Ukitake and a curious Captain Kyoraku. Byakuya was now less than a foot in front of Sayomi whose chest was still rising and falling rapidly as she glared at him and brought her hands further into her chest, curling her body protectively around them.

"It would be better if you didn't resist, Sayomi. I don't wish to hurt you," Byakuya told her quietly, gently as if he were talking to a frightened animal.

Her lips parted in a silent gasp as she stared up into the smoky eyes of the man she had once loved so very much. She could see the man she had fallen in love with in his eyes as he stared down at her, see that the cold front he had been putting up was just that, a front, an act. He was a noble and he was expected to act like one, just as she was.

Wrapping her hand around the silver link bracelet, Sayomi lowered her head and closed her eyes. 'I'm so sorry, Fuyukaze.'

_'You have nothing to be sorry for my little Sayomi-sama, nothing at all. I will always be with you_.'

Tears pricked at her eyes and she sniffed before pushing herself up from the ground, wobbling slightly as she stood up and once again proudly raised her head to meet Byakuya's gaze evenly, almost arrogantly. She stretched her right arm out, her heart aching as her bracelet jingled quietly.

"Am I going to die?" She asked bluntly, but softly as Byakuya reached for the blue ribbon that held Fuyukaze to her wrist.

Byakuya's eyes looked up to meet hers, but she was focused on the hand, his hand, that was hovering near her wrist. He slowly pulled the blue ribbon free and gathered it and the chain link bracelet it was woven through carefully into his palm before closing his fingers gently around it. He stared at his closed fist, the cool metal links felt familiar in his hand and he could sense the sadness and concern they were giving off. When he looked up to meet Saymoi's pale blue eyes again she was looking him directly in the eyes. Eyes that had once been so full of life and happiness, now looked as if they were slowly dying as she blinked and a single tear she couldn't quite hold back slid down her cheek.

He remembered the question she had asked him then and finally replied. "I don't know, Sayomi."

Sayomi nodded and took another deep breath, trying to maintain some sort of pride despite the situation she found herself in.

"Excuse us, Captain Kuchiki, but we must return her to her cell now," one of her four guards said.

Byakuya bowed his head in understanding, watching as Sayomi turned and was then led from the room. She paused near the door, looking over her shoulder at him and her eyes were so full of loneliness and loss that he was almost glad her guards urged her forward again and she turned away.

Opening his palm, he stared at the glittering silver links and deep blue ribbon. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he thought that the polished metal somehow seemed less vibrant than he remembered. It was almost as if some of the life had gone out of the bracelet, just as the life and light was going out of Sayomi.

* * *

><p>"So...How'd it go?" Ichigo asked tentatively.<p>

"I'm a traitor, Ichigo, nothing is going to change their minds on that," Sayomi replied.

"But you did nothing wrong," he protested. "You were only trying to help!"

Sayomi sighed, bowing her head tiredly. Ichigo and Uryu had been pacing outside of her cell when she had been led inside, curious and tense about the proceedings of the meeting she had been taken to. Neither one was allowed in the cell now that she was awake and were forced to sit in uncomfortable wooden chairs or stand outside in order to talk to her.

"But I did. I abandoned my post here, my fiancé, my title, everything. I then betrayed the few people who cared about me to try and kill someone I felt had wronged me," she finally answered.

"But that would have benefited Soul Society, not just you, they have to see that," Uryu protested.

"Why? Even if they did see that they know that I'm not just a Soul Reaper any longer, I'm something else. I'm something that they refuse to accept and I'll be dealt with in the same way they deal with all of the things they don't accept."

"You don't think they'll actually kill you?" Ichigo asked, clearly shocked by the idea.

She didn't immediately answer the question, but took a moment instead to gaze up at the boring gray ceiling above her. When she looked at Ichigo, there was nothing in her tone to indicate that she had any sort of feeling over what she was about to say. "I do and they will. It's just a matter of time."

"I won't let them, they can't-"

"Lower your voice, Kurosaki," Uryu turned to say to his orange haired friend that had jumped from his seat and was shaking with anger.

"But they can't-"

"Thank you, Ichigo, for wanting to help me, but...I'm home, if I were to choose some place to die, this would be it. I know what's coming and I don't mind, so please don't get so angry. I will accept my punishment," Sayomi said.

Ichigo froze, she had sounded just like Rukia had on the night that Byakuya had retrieved her from the living world several months ago. She had humbled herself and was willing to take the ultimate punishment for a mediocre crime.

* * *

><p>It was the next day that she was visited by none other than the head captain himself. The old man slowly made his way into the exterior of the room that housed her cell, his lieutenant trailing obediently behind him. Once directly in front of the bars, the old man stopped, placing both hands on the top of his staff and watching Sayomi through half lidded eyes.<p>

Shifting, Sayomi went from laying down to sitting up straight and waiting to be addressed.

"I want the entire story. From the beginning, if you don't mind," the old man told her.

She couldn't help the flicker of confusion that crossed her face at why he would want to hear her story from the beginning. He had to already know what she was and how she had become what she was, so why did he care, or did he?

"Pardon me for asking, sir, but why do you wish to know? I already know that whatever I tell you now or in the future won't have any baring on the punishment you choose for me," Sayomi replied, keeping her voice steady and calm.

"My reasons are not your concern," Yamamoto answered.

Sayomi frowned, that was certainly not the response she was hoping for. It was definitely the response she had expected though. "By the beginning, I assume you mean the night that I disobeyed orders and went to help Kensei and the others."

Her only answer was a minute tilting of the head captain's chin.

She took a moment to gather her thoughts before heaving a sigh and beginning her tale. When she had finished almost an hour later, Yamamoto and Sasakibe left, barely saying a word to her as they turned to leave.

Unknown to her, Byakuya had heard the entire conversation. He had been down the hall the whole time. The head captain had been aware, but had chosen to ignore his subordinate and let the man hear what Sayomi had to say. The nobleman didn't go into see her that night, there was too much on his mind to distract him. Including her admittance that at some point at least, the others who had also supposedly died with her were alive and that she had had a relationship with the one man whom he knew had loved Sayomi for a very long time.

He could tell by the way she spoke towards the end of the conversation, about her brother's death and the way she had fled Hueco Muendo after managing to wound Aizen, that she was still very upset over the loss of her brother and wanted to avenge him. He wondered what her reaction would be if he were to tell her that Gin Ichimaru was very much alive. He wondered if it would bring some life back into her once vibrant eyes.

The Head Captain was aware, as was everyone else, that Gin Ichimaru was alive and well. He had also been told of the theories that Aizen still had plans for Sayomi, the old man didn't quite believe it though. He felt that Aizen had abandoned Sayomi and that the man wouldn't attempt to recapture her. Byakuya wasn't sure he agreed, Aizen had proven to be a hard enemy to understand, but he had spent so much energy manipulating Sayomi and trying to corner her that he didn't see Aizen simply leaving her to die.

The only thing to do was wait.

For Sayomi waiting was all she could do, but she was soon to find that she wouldn't have to do very much more of that. The day after the short questioning by the captains of the Gotei 13, she was once again brought before the head captain and all other captains and their lieutenants. Even Ichigo and Uryu were present. They had no idea why, they had just been summoned there and had decided it would be best to go.

She didn't look at anyone as she was led down the center of the white room, her bare feet making little clapping noises against the smooth marble beneath them. She took her place with her four guards around her, her chin held high as she was presented to Yamamoto. She heard the sound of the giant doors sliding shut behind her and it wasn't long after that the head captain spoke.

"Sayomi Himura, you are here to learn your punishment for your crimes."

Sayomi listened to the raspy voice speak, well aware of what was coming, but dreading it all the same.

"The Central 46 had previously issued orders to execute every one of the nine who had been affected by Aizen's experiments," Yamamoto continued.

"You know, old man Yama," Captain Kyoraku spoke up, his aloof voice and lazy tone causing the old man to frown slightly as he looked at his former student. "I'm a bit curious to see those orders. I mean, when you think about it those nine did nothing wrong."

"That may be true," Yamamoto replied. "But it doesn't change what they are. Or that she joined Aizen."

Kyoraku shrugged. "No, but when you think about it we've accepted Ichigo over there as a substitute Soul Reaper and he's not all that different. He's stuck his neck out for us more than once despite what he is. Plus, Sayomi here was trying to kill Aizen, that's been confirmed by several people. Had she succeeded that would have helped us quite a bit. We can't just ignore that."

Yamamoto's frown deepened. "Nor can we ignore the orders of the Central 46."

"The Central 46 doesn't exist anymore," Kyoraku countered. "I'm not saying we should ignore the orders entirely, but it can't hurt to have a look at them. There was a lot we didn't know about what was going on at the time."

"Kyoraku is right," Ukitake spoke up, smiling at Sayomi when she glanced over her shoulder at him, her surprise that he and Kyoraku would so openly stand up for her written on her face. "I also happen to have the old orders here." He pulled a small scroll from the sleeve of his haori and began to slowly unravel it.

Sayomi was wide eyed as she stared back at Ukitake, she hadn't expected this. She hadn't expected anyone to so openly question the orders for her execution. To so willingly question the Head Captain and his actions.

The large room was unnervingly quiet except for the soft rustling of the scroll that Ukitake was unrolling. Even Ichigo and Uryu were waiting in a tense silence in the back of the room.

"Well," the young captain of the Tenth Division spoke up impatiently. "What does it say?"

Kyoraku sauntered over and read from over Ukitake's shoulder. "Says here," the man began. "That the nine who went out that night were supposed to be executed because they were turned into Hollows."

"Which she is," Soi Fon snapped irritably. "Can we just kill her already?"

"But she isn't a Hollow!" Ichigo shouted, finally losing the composure he had managed to keep up to that point. He stalked forward, face stubbornly set into a determined glare as he stepped up to Sayomi's side, his eyes on the Head Captain. "She's just like me. She's a Soul Reaper that can use the powers of a Hollow, but she isn't a Hollow. You accepted me, didn't you? You gave me this badge, didn't you?" He brandished the substitute badge he had been given. "You can't kill her for being different when she's just like me!"

There was silence again as everyone stared at Ichigo's flushed face.

"Ichigo is right, you know," Kyoraku said. "She's not a Hollow. She's not just a Soul Reaper either, but that didn't keep us from accepting him when he's not much different."

"Their situations are not the same," Yamamoto replied.

"Maybe not, but these orders say to kill her for becoming a Hollow, she isn't a Hollow," Kyoraku said.

"Then what are we supposed to do with her?" Hitsugaya asked.

"We use her."

Everyone's attention turned to Byakuya.

"Use her?" Ichigo shouted angrily.

"It's not a bad idea," Kyoraku agreed, nodding thoughtfully.

"Not a bad idea?" Ichigo argued. "What are you even talking about?"

"A trap. You want to use me as bait," Sayomi said, eyes on Byakuya. "But to capture what?"

"You don't believe that either your brother or Aizen would let you die, do you?" Byakuya asked.

"My brother?" Sayomi repeated, confused. "My brother is dead."

"Do you really believe that?" Byakuya asked.

"I saw him... I," she trailed off, to shake her head uncertainly.

"He's not dead, Sayomi," Uryu said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He was in Karakura when you came through with Orihime. It was all just a trick of Aizen's."

"I.. I don't understand," she said weakly.

"Aizen wanted you weak and out of your gigai. He wanted you vulnerable, Sayomi. Can't you think of why?" Byakuya asked.

She stared at him, her mouth working but no sound coming out. She finally shook her head, looking down at the cold stone tiles. "To make me more manageable. To make me easier to control."

"And?" Byakuya pressed.

"And," she sighed, closing her eyes. "So he could rescue me from here."

A few murmurs of confusion were voiced.

"Why would he do that? Why rescue her? He tried to kill her," Hitsugaya pointed out.

"Because I would have nowhere else to go and I would owe him my life. Which is exactly what he wants," Sayomi replied. "Even if you use me as bait he won't come for me himself. He'd send a member of his Espada, maybe a few of their Fraccion."

"Maybe even one of his captains," Yamamoto mused in his raspy voice.

Sayomi's head snapped up, her eyes wide. "My brother?"

"It's possible," Soi Fon agreed. "He may come and then we-"

"No!" Sayomi interrupted. "I will not let you kill him."

"He's a traitor, even you can't deny that," Yamamoto said.

She was beginning to breathe too quickly, to panic as her heart raced in her chest. "I won't agree to this."

"You don't have to agree," Yamamoto said.

"Even if we decide to use her as bait to draw them here, that doesn't really answer the question of just what it is we're going to do with her," Hitsugaya pointed out.

"It seems a little harsh to keep the poor thing locked up, don't you think, Ukitake?" Kyoraku asked the white haired man beside him.

Ukitake smiled, chuckling at the position that Kyoraku had put him in. "Well, it does seem a little unnecessary. After all, wouldn't it be a better idea to use a decoy and keep her hidden?"

"Hidden where? The only usable and reliable jail space we have right now are the cells in each Division, but those aren't exactly hidden," Hitsugaya reminded.

"True, true," Kyoraku agreed, bobbing his head thoughtfully. "But you know.. If I remember correctly Sayomi here can turn herself into a cat, isn't that right?"

Sayomi blinked at the dark haired man, she had no idea how he had known about that. Only a handful of people knew she was able to transform into a cat just as Yoruichi had done. "Yes, but how did you know that?"

The man smiled. "Just a guess, Yoruichi was your master after all and you were her favorite student."

"So what if she can turn into a cat? What's your point, Kyoraku?" Soi fon pressed.

"There aren't a lot of people who know about Sayomi's ability to transform, especially here in Soul Society. Let her transform and we can hide her in plain sight. With her reiatsu restricted no one will be able to tell that she's anything but a normal cat."

"You just want to let her run around Soul Society?" Hitsugaya questioned. "Are you insane? She'd just run off with Kurosaki the first chance she got."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Sayomi shouted. "I'm not going to let you kill him. I'm not going to play a part in killing my own brother."

"Relax, we're not asking you to," Kyoraku told her reassuringly, stepping forward to put a hand on her shoulder. "No one said anything about killing anyone and we don't know if your brother will even be sent here. You wanted to get to Aizen, didn't you? You wanted to stop this war?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then help us," Kyoraku said.

"I will, but-"

"Well then, old man Yama," Kyoraku called, looking up at the Head Captain. "How about we find a decoy and let this old friend of ours stretch her legs a bit?"

* * *

><p>~AN~

You're all so spoiled this week... ;) Anywho, it was either going to be post the chapter tonight or not until sometime next week. It's done so I figured I'd celebrate reaching 100 reviews with a new chapter.

So thank you to Delirium's Requiem for being the 100th review for the story. Yay!

And of course thank you to all of my lovely and amazing readers and reviewers, you make writing all of these stories worthwhile.

Please feed the monster. He's also spoiled this week. :)


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 22**

**Lost in the Rain**

Her protests were completely ignored as she was led from the meeting hall. Angry shouts and bitter curses were spat from her mouth as she was practically dragged from the room by her white clothed and masked guards. The tirade would have continued if one of the guards hadn't used a kido spell to knock her out cold.

She awoke, groggy and with a nasty headache, in her little cell in the First Division. Her head was aching badly enough that she reached up to see if it had actually been cracked open. It hadn't, but she did have a pretty good sized bump on the side of her forehead. She guessed that rather than being caught after being hit with the spell that had knocked her out she had been allowed to collapse onto the cold, hard stone of the meeting hall.

"Bastards," she grumbled, sitting up with a groan as the world spun around her. She let herself lay back down on her flat pillow, closing her eyes as the nauseating feeling and spinning slowed.

There were quiet, shuffling footsteps in the hall leading to her cell. She ignored them, not wanting to move and risk another dizzy spell.

"Your head hit pretty hard when you fell." The voice belonged to Captain Unohana, it was soft and carried a slight hint of apology. "How are you feeling?"

The sound of the door opening made Sayomi cringe. "Like I have a knife stuck in my skull."

"Here, let me take a look," Unohana offered.

Sayomi tried not to pull away as the woman's warm hands brushed some of her hair aside so the bump on her head could be more easily viewed. Even the lightest brush of air was painful. A sigh escaped her lips gratefully when a cooling, yet calming warmth began to soothe the ache in her head. The sensation lasted for close to two minutes and when it stopped, she opened her eyes to see Unohana smiling down at her.

"Better?" The healer asked.

"Much, thank you," Sayomi replied, slowly sitting up. A careful brush of her fingers over her forehead told her that the bump was very nearly gone, she would likely have a bit of a bruise, but a bruise would heal in time. She was just glad that her head no longer felt as if it was being crushed beneath the weight of an elephant.

"Do you need to treat her so kindly? She is a traitor, remember?"

Sayomi glanced at the petite woman that had appeared outside of her cell. It was Soi Fon and she looked as far from pleased at being in her presence as anyone could possibly be.

"You are entitled to believe what you would like, Captain, but she is to be released and while she will be monitored, it shows the Head Captain has some faith in her, as should we."

Soi Fon's face twitched disdainfully. "I'll pass."

"So you're the decoy?" Sayomi guessed, figuring the woman wouldn't be anywhere near her unless she had a reason. Plus, Soi Fon was a captain and therefore trusted and happened to have a similar build to Sayomi. Both were fairly short, lean and agile. There were differences in their builds, but they could be hidden easily enough. Being that Sayomi was in a fairly sour mood, she decided to prod at one to get a rise out of the excitable woman. "Couldn't they find someone with a little more up top? I'm not a flat chested child after all." She grinned when Soi Fon's brow twitched dangerously. "What? I may not be as busty as Rangiku, but come on-"

"That's enough, Sayomi."

Sayomi shrugged carelessly, but quieted as Byakuya stepped up to the bars of her cell beside Soi Foi. His lieutenant was just a few steps behind him and looked like he was trying not to laugh as he glanced at Soi Fon's angry scowl. "Just having some fun."

"For someone claiming not to be a child you certainly act like one, but you always were a bit childish," Byakuya pointed out casually.

Her disinterested look melted into a hard glare. "Why don't we just get to the point, shall we? I refuse to cooperate with this decoy plot. I do have a choice," Sayomi snapped, her voice booming out of her small frame with proud defiance when Byakuya tried to speak. "I will not help you kill my own brother, my own flesh and blood. You're a fool if you think I would, but then again you always were too full of arrogance and pride to really be able to judge people well."

"Goodness, it's a good thing we came to check up on you kids. Doesn't look like things are going too well."

Two more people appeared from the hall, Captains Kyoraku and Ukitake. Kyoraku was wearing an aloof grin and winked at Sayomi while Ukitake offered a kind, warm smile of his own and a small wave.

"Of course things aren't going well, Kyoraku," Soi Fon sneered. "She's refusing to cooperate, even though she has no choice."

"Now, now," Kyoraku cut in chidingly before Sayomi could retaliate with her own words. "Why don't we all just calm down a little. I would have thought that Captain Kuchiki here would have known better than to let you antagonize her, she's never responded well to that sort of thing, has she, Captain?"

Byakuya looked unperturbed by the remark. "Captain Soi Fon is free to do as she pleases."

"True, but wouldn't it have been easier to explain things to Sayomi? You know her quite well, Captain Kuchiki, shouldn't be much of a problem for you to get her to listen to you. Or do you just like seeing her get all riled up? She's pretty cute when she's mad, isn't she?" Kyoraku joked.

"Shunsui," Ukitake sighed, shaking his head at his friend's antics.

"I'm not listening to anyone," Sayomi snapped. "I will not help you kill my brother!"

Kyoraku held his hands up in an offering of peace. "Calm down. We're not asking you to do that, Sayomi."

She frowned disbelievingly. "Then what are you asking me to do?"

"Simply to bear with us and see what happens," he replied.

"What happens?" She repeated.

It was Ukitake that spoke up now. "If it's true that Aizen arranged all of this, we're all being manipulated into playing his game. No one is very fond of that idea, but we would like to see if the suspicions that he will send someone to retrieve you are true. I know you don't like the idea of being used, Sayomi, none of us do, but would you rather stay here and help us fight Aizen or go back to Aizen?"

She looked utterly offended by the notion that she would go back to Aizen. Her face darkened and her hands clenched against the edge of the bed. "I will never go back there," she ground out hotly.

Ukitake smiled gently to show he had meant no harm with his question. "Then why not let us help you?"

"Help me?" She questioned, a brow tilting upwards cynically. "Only you would say something like that, Ukitake. You know the goal here isn't to help me, but to have me help you."

"You still have friends here, Sayomi," he offered, that same kind smile on his face again. "Don't friends help each other?"

Sayomi sighed, shaking her head. Ukitake certainly had a way with words and his kindness was so hard to ignore. "Seriously, only you." The white haired man smiled and Sayomi shook her head again, rolling her eyes. "Jeez, Ukitake, I'm beginning to remember just how annoying you were."

"But you love him," piped Kyoraku, slinging an arm over his fellow captain's shoulder. "I mean just look at this face." He lightly patted Ukitake's cheek as he grinned at Sayomi.

"And you said we were acting like kids?" Soi Fon grumbled.

"So what do you say, Sayomi?" Inquired Kyoraku. "Want to work together with some old friends again? It'll be fun."

She stared at him for a moment before letting her eyes go back to Ukitake. He wouldn't lie to her, she didn't think Kyoraku would either, but she wanted an honest answer without having to do more than ask the question that was bothering her. "My brother? If Aizen does send him after me what will happen to him?"

There was a flicker behind Ukitake's eyes and he let out a quiet breath, but it wasn't him that answered. Byakuya spoke before the older man could.

"He may be your brother, Sayomi, but you do realize what he's done, don't you? Even if he was manipulated and molded by Aizen, he let it happen. He chose to follow Aizen, to betray Soul Society. All choices have consequences. You can't save him from the consequences of his own decisions and foolishness."

Her blue eyes stayed locked with Byakuya's for a moment, but then she looked away, down at her hands in her lap. She rubbed her fingertips together, the skin was somewhat rough and calloused, but she hardly noticed. "I know that, Byakuya, but.. I can't kill him either. Please... Please don't make me be a part of this."

She loathed how pathetic she sounded, how insignificant and ignoble he was capable of making her feel. Only Byakuya had ever been able to make her feel so much at once, no one else knew her the way he had. No one else was able to get under skin without trying, without even meaning to. Maybe it wasn't even that he was getting under her skin, but that his presence reminded her of so much that she had lost. So much she had held onto for so long, a past that she could never change and a future that had so cruelly been taken from her.

'_You still love him_.' Fuyukaze's voice was more distant than usual, it made her heart ache and made her feel so very alone.

'I'll always love him,' she thought.

'_He still loves you._'

"We don't even know if he will come. If he does, do you really think the Head Captain would want him killed?" Byakuya suggested, breaking through her thoughts.

Her jaw tightened and she closed her eyes, she didn't like the situation she was in. Didn't want to have to make these decisions that could possibly pit her against her own brother, but Byakuya was right. He usually was, and now Sayomi saw what Kyoraku had meant. Byakuya was one of the only people she would listen to and believe because he had never lied to her, not that Kyoraku or Ukitake had, but he had always been brutally honest. His pride and his respect for her had never let him lie, but that was a long time ago. She could hardly believe he still respected her, not after everything that had happened. However, he hadn't told her anything, he had asked her a question. He wasn't telling her because he thought she would doubt his words and because he knew the best way to get her to understand would be to make her think for herself.

"No," she finally said quietly, shaking her head. "No, he wouldn't want him dead. He would want him alive because we still need information on what Aizen is planning. He would be able to give that to us. And..." Her eyes closed again as she took a breath and looked up to meet Byakuya's eyes again. "He _would_ give it us."

"Why do you say that, Sayomi?" Kyoraku asked curiously. "You make it sound like it would be simple."

"It would," she replied, taking a breath and closing her eyes for a moment before she slowly released the breath through her mouth and looked up to meet his eyes. "Because he won't lie to me."

* * *

><p>Later that evening after everyone had left for the night, Sayomi quietly sat with her back against the wall and her eyes on her hands that she had folded in her lap. She kept glancing at her wrist where Fuyukaze should have been, but wasn't, and it made her feel immensely lonely with him gone. She could still hear his voice and converse with him, but it just wasn't the same, she had never really been separated from him before and she didn't like the feeling whatsoever. With a sigh, she closed her eyes while absently rubbing her wrist and tilting her head back against the smooth stone wall.<p>

A few minutes after she had closed her eyes there were quiet, even footsteps approaching her cell. She opened her eyes as the footsteps stopped to see who her visitor was at such a late hour. "Shouldn't you be home with your wife, Byakuya?" She asked blandly.

"My wife is dead." He answered evenly, watching Sayomi's reaction with his dark eyes.

Sayomi's own pale blue eyes widened and a gasp slipped passed her lips in her surprise. She tried to think of a reply, but couldn't and wound up lowering her head with a soft sigh. She had done enough to hurt the man in front of her, she didn't want to say or do anything else to hurt him further because no matter how much she tried to tell herself that she no longer cared about him, she did, she loved him and always would. The more she saw him, the more often she heard him speak, the more often her heart would skip a beat in her chest and the more she longed for the life they should have had together.

"Hisana died five years after we were married," Byakuya told her, voice still even and calm. "Her health had always been poor and she fell ill while trying to find her sister, Rukia whom she had abandoned in the Rukongai."

At the mention of the Rukongai, Sayomi's fists clenched, she had no good memories of the world outside of the Seireitei and had no desire to ever think about the disgusting conditions she and her brother had lived in. A part of her couldn't help but feel some form of anger at the fact that Byakuya's late wife had abandoned her sister in that hell hole, but a part of her could also understand the woman's reasons.

She had been lucky having Gin as a brother, he had taken care of her despite the fact that it was much more difficult to care for anyone other than yourself in the towns that they had had to ghost through as children."I'm sorry, Byakuya, I had no idea," she finally said, still not bothering to look up at the black haired man who stood outside of her cell.

"She was a commoner," he continued. "I met her fifty years after your disappearance and fell in love. The elders were against my marrying her, but I insisted, I loved her. She was the only other woman I had ever felt anything for besides you and I wasn't going to let it go and risk losing her. I had lost enough."

"Why are you telling me this, Byakuya?" Sayomi questioned quietly, lifting her head enough to peer at him with tired and glassy eyes. "I remember you clearly telling me to return to the dead because that was what I was to you, dead. So why tell me about your wife or anything else? It's not like I deserve to know. I abandoned this place, you, my entire life...I left it all behind-"

"The choice to go to the aid of your comrades was yours, but the other choice that was made that night, to experiment on loyal Soul Reapers was not yours. Was it?"

She shook her head, letting her eyes drift shut and sighing tiredly before letting her eyes flutter open again. "No, of course not, but what does that change? I was forced to betray Soul Society after that, to hide in the world of the living and never be accepted by anyone and never let anyone know who I was or what I was. Then, after that, I betrayed the only friends I had left to kill my brother. Now my brother is all I have left and you want to use me as bait to capture him. I'm not an idiot, Byakuya, once he's given us information he'll be of no use, neither will I. At least we'll die together I suppose."

Byakuya remained silent, studying Sayomi in the dim light that the single bulb in the cell cast over her. She looked tired, worn and nothing like the beautiful, strong willed woman he remembered from nearly a century ago. That wasn't to say that she still wasn't beautiful with her long white hair hanging over her shoulders in soft waves as her pale blue eyes stared back at him from her pale face. "Were you happy? In the living world with the others and..that man?"

The question was rather abrupt and unexpected so Sayomi couldn't help but to blink almost dumbly at him for a moment. "At first..no, I wasn't happy at all. I wanted to come home. I wanted to be with you, but Soul Society was going to kill us so that was impossible and I didn't want to endanger you...I loved you too much. I was told that you were dead several years after we left, I believed it and for years I grieved and just couldn't let go. When I finally did it was Kensei that was there for me and it took some time, but I eventually grew happy again. Then I left and... I'm used to being alone now, it's safer that way."

"Safer for you or them?"

"Both really. I almost killed Hiyori for insulting you and Kensei, though I suppose in some senses she was right. I was never good enough for you or him, I spend too much time looking out only for myself and not anyone else."

"You don't honestly believe that, do you?" Byakuya asked.

"Why does it matter to you, Byakuya? I'm likely going to be dead in a few weeks time and as I've already mentioned, you told me to return to the dead once. So why are you here? What do you want from me?"

"When Hisana died everything changed for me and it wasn't until recently that I began to see that maybe there were other ways of doing things. I had sworn to never again break another law and that I would uphold the values of the remaining nobility. I also swore that I would never let myself love again. I didn't want to be hurt again, I didn't want to experience another loss since it seemed to be the only thing I received any time I loved someone. Then you reappeared from seemingly nowhere and I was reminded that I was capable of feeling, but I didn't want to feel anything so I rejected you instead."

"Byakuya," Sayomi whispered, she felt a deep sadness for him. He had decided on being alone instead of risking having his heart broken again. Standing from where she was perched on the bed, Sayomi walked to the bars and reached a thin, pale hand through them. "I'm so sorry, I really am. I should have listened to you, I should never have gone off on my own that night," she said softly as she let her fingers lightly graze his cheek and push some of his hair back.

"You would have gone anyway, Sayomi, I know you well enough to know that," the noble replied, taking her hand in one of his own and holding it against his chest for a moment before releasing it and letting it fall back to her side.

She smiled softly, her eyes becoming distant as she brought her hand to her chest and held it there. "Yes, you're probably right."

"I should be going, I fell behind with the day's paperwork and my lieutenant is fairly useless. Good night, Sayomi," Byakuya said, bowing his head to her and then turning to sweep elegantly from the room.

"Night," she mumbled after him.

* * *

><p>Almost twenty-four hours had passed since it had been decided that Soi Fon would stand in for Sayomi, who the rest of Soul Society now believed was to be executed in one week. Even Ichigo and Uryu had been led to believe that she was to be executed despite how the meeting they had attended had ended. They believed that Sayomi refused to cooperate and was therefore to be executed in one week, they had been sent back to the world of the living without even being able to see her.<p>

Sayomi was sitting with her legs crossed on the bed, waiting for the arrival of Soi Fon, who would be covertly making her way in so she could be led to the Repentance Tower in her place. Before the small woman arrived she had several visitors who came to say what would look like goodbyes. Kyoraku and Ukitake were two of them, Byakuya and his lieutenant were the others, but they were there because it had been decided she would be placed under the Sixth Division Captain's watchful eye.

When the Head Captain arrived, followed in by the captain of the Twelfth Division, Sayomi knew that it was time for her to transform. She wasn't entirely pleased with having an audience, but she did as she was supposed to and popped out of the neck of her robe as a fluffy white cat after letting her body shift and shrink. The bands around her hands and ankles had fallen away, but the band around her throat was still loosely in place. This was replaced with a different band, a black one created by Kurotsuchi himself. It would allow her to switch between forms if she needed to, but would otherwise restrict her reiatsu and keep her nice and harmless.

As everyone filed out, Sayomi followed Byakuya who was the last to leave. He didn't follow the entourage leading Soi Fon away, who had had a linen bag pulled over her head to hide her face. Instead he and Renji turned down one of the long walkways leading out of the First Division.

Sayomi had to admit that it was nice to be able to walk around outside. The sun felt nice as it warmed her fur and the air in Soul Society was much fresher and lighter than that in the world of the living. She found herself trotting along with a slight bounce to her step despite the situation she was in and she could even sense Fuyukaze's own happiness about being out in Soul Society once again, even if they weren't together.

When Byakuya stopped suddenly just inside the gate leading into the First Division, Sayomi bumped into his leg and blinked up at him to see he was giving her a rather indifferent look.

"I have to return to work. You're free to do whatever you'd like so long as you stay in that form and are at the compound after nightfall."

"You're just going to let me run around Soul Society?" She asked. "Aren't you supposed to be making sure I don't cause any trouble?"

"Do you plan on causing any trouble?"

She blinked up at him uncertainly, he still had the ability to make her feel like a misbehaved child even after nearly a century. "..No."

"Then there should be no problem as long as you behave, should there?" He turned away from her as the gates swung open and she was left to dash out before they could close in her face.

She watched as Byakuya and his lieutenant walked down the street, away from her while she sat idly outside of the First Division. It had surprised her that she was to be placed under Byakuya's watch, she had expected to be placed with Ukitake since she wouldn't look so out of place by the gentle captain's side. Being under Byakuya's watch instead made her nervous, their relationship was rocky at best and considering the current situation she didn't want to get too close to him again. It would be too painful for of them in the end, after all, there was no guarantee that she was going to survive the week.

Not knowing what to do, where to go, or even if she was supposed to go anywhere outside of the Kuchiki compound she hopped up on the wall that divided the streets and simply followed it. Occasionally she would jump to another, but she remained off of the street and out of the way. It had been a long time since she had seen the Soul Society so she figured a nice walk around to see how it had changed would be interesting.

She wound up at the Thirteenth Division after a few hours of exploring Soul Society, figuring Ukitake would welcome her. It was as she was walking towards the offices and barracks that she was noticed by two of the division members. A tall man and a shorter girl.

"Look at the cute kitty!" The short girl shouted happily, running towards Sayomi who backed up slightly as the excited girl approached her.

"Don't touch that thing, Kiyone," the man who had been with her warned, staring down at Sayomi curiously. "It could have rabies or something."

"It doesn't have rabies, Sentaro, just shut up."

Sayomi blinked in confusion as the two started to argue incomprehensibly. She was attempting to walk passed the two when she was suddenly lifted by the scruff of her neck by the tall man, she gave a loud meow and a swiped at the hand that was holding her only to find herself suddenly being pulled out of the harsh grasp and crushed against the girl's chest. Not at all enthusiastic about being treated like a toy, she hissed angrily and struggled to get out of the hold she found herself in.

"What's going on you two?"

Sayomi said a silent prayer and thanks to Ukitake as the arguing stopped and the grip on her slackened. She leapt out of the arms of the small woman and ran to Ukitake, skidding to a stop behind him and peering around his leg at the two people who had just violated her personal bubble. Ukitake chuckled at her, reaching down to consolingly pat her head and offer a greeting before he straightened up.

"Do you know that cat, Captain?" The tall man, Sentaro asked.

"As a matter of fact I do," Ukitake replied. "She's an old friend I haven't seen around for awhile."

"See told you she was just a cute cat!" Kiyone shouted at Sentaro.

"You still should go around trying to pet every cute animal you see!"

Ukitake sighed, glancing down at Sayomi who was still hiding behind his leg. "Tea?"

Sayomi glanced up at him, gave an approving meow and trotted along beside the captain as they made their way to his personal home that sat above an expansive koi pond. It was more private here, part of the reason he had chosen to reside here and once they were walking on the wood path over the pond Ukitake apologized for his subordinates.

"Kiyone and Sentaro can get a little carried away sometimes, but they mean well."

Sayomi snorted. "If you say so, Ukitake."

"Byakuya working?" Ukitake inquired as he filled a kettle with water.

"Yes, he said I was free to do whatever I wanted so long as I didn't cause trouble and was at the Kuchiki compound in the evening." She walked to a pillow that sat by a short, square table and sat down on it while Ukitake made tea.

"I would have thought you would want to spend some time with him."

"Things aren't how they used to be, Ukitake. We're not engaged anymore. I don't even think we're friends anymore," she replied with a sigh.

"But you still love him," Ukitake said, glancing back at her while preparing their tea.

"So who's this Hitsugaya kid?" She asked, ignoring his previous comment. "He barely looks old enough to shave, how is he a captain? Especially of the Tenth Division," she grumbled.

Ukitake chuckled at her as he set three tea cups on the table before retrieving the kettle and pouring the hot water into a tea pot. He brought the tea pot to the table and set it down before taking a seat himself.

Sayomi glanced at the third cup. "Are you expecting someone else?"

There wasn't even time for him to answer when there was a knock on the door and it slid open.

"I brought sake," a familiar voice declared. "It's more fun than that boring green tea you always drink."

Kyoraku walked in, all smiles and plopped himself down on a pillow before placing a large bottle of sake down by the tea pot.

"Just because it's not sake doesn't make it boring, Shunsui," Ukitake sighed.

"Of course it does," the jovial captain replied. "So, Sayomi, how's freedom treating you?"

"So far so good, I suppose."

"Good, good. So you're under Captain Kuchiki's watch, huh? You two better behave," he teased.

"Shunsui," Ukitake chided lightly.

"What? They were engaged and all."

"We're not anymore," Sayomi pointed out. "We're not anything anymore."

"But you still love him," Kyoraku said.

"Would everyone stop saying that?" She snapped haughtily before huffing childishly. "Sorry, but I'm already well aware that I'll always love Byakuya, I don't need to be reminded. Loving him isn't going to change anything. I'm still a freak, and I'm still more than likely going to be executed when this whole thing is over and I'm not useful anymore. So can we just talk about something else? Like the weather? How's it been? Sunny?"

"You're still as stubborn as ever," Kyoraku replied, smiling at Sayomi. "Sake?" He asked, holding up the bottle and giving it a little shake so the liquid could be heard sloshing around inside.

"I'm a cat," she pointed out.

"So? Yoruichi drinks sake all the time," he countered.

"Yeah, well, Yoruichi also eats chicken nibbles all the time, even when she's not a cat. I'll pass this time, thanks though."

"So, Sayomi," Ukitake began as Kyoraku poured himself a glass full of sake. "How are you, really?"

She sighed, glancing at Kyoraku as he sipped on his sake. "You know, I think I'll take some sake after all."

* * *

><p>With Byakuya busy with his work as a captain, Sayomi was given a great deal of freedom to do almost whatever she pleased. Much of her time was spent wandering around Soul Society so she could see the changes that had taken place and watch the various divisions as they went about their daily duties. She would visit Ukitake in the afternoons and they would talk while no one was around, Kyoraku would usually end up joining them as well, always with sake in tow. In the evenings she would return to the Kuchiki estate where she would make herself scarce since the servants would always try and chase her off if they saw her. She usually let herself into Byakuya's room and would wait for him to come home.<p>

The first night, he hadn't returned until late and she had been so tired from staying up waiting for him, especially considering that she had spent hours leaping around roofs and walls as she reacquainted herself with Soul Society, that she had fallen asleep on his windowsill. He was gone when she woke up. The second and third nights were much the same and she knew that Byakuya wasn't simply working late, he was avoiding her as much as he could. She couldn't really blame him. She was a reminder of a different time for him, just as he was for her. It was the fourth day that she trailed along behind him to his office in the Sixth Division, he wasn't pleased about it, she could tell by the slight fluctuation in his usually well controlled reiatsu and the ever so slight scowl on his face when she hopped onto the ledge of the window that allowed fresh air into his neat and orderly space. She made herself comfortable there for awhile, head on her paws while her tail flicked behind her absently and he worked at his desk. After awhile the ledge proved to be uncomfortable and she hopped on to the wooden floor of Byakuya's office and stretched before hopping on to his desk and ignoring the look he gave her that told her he wasn't happy with her new choice of a resting place. She found a spot near the corner and curled up there.

"What are you doing?" Byakuya inquired blandly.

"Making myself comfortable," she replied simply.

"There?"

"I could always curl up on your lap," she retorted.

"You're fine where you are."

"Good, I wasn't asking for your permission anyway." Her tail flicked around her in annoyance, but the movements became slower over time until they stopped and she drifted into a light sleep.

Throughout the rest of the day, Sayomi followed Byakuya around, much to his annoyance, and the delight of his division who thought it was cute that a little cat would follow their usually stoic and unmoving captain around.

"Are you done yet?" Sayomi asked, rising from her perch on his desk to stretch and yawn widely. The sun was beginning to set and she was beginning to grow bored watching Byakuya work diligently. They were back in his office and he was back at work behind his desk, ignoring her presence just as he had for most of the day.

"No."

She sighed, flopping back down on his desk and watching him. "Do you plan on staying here most of the night again?"

"Perhaps," he replied.

"You're overworking yourself. Not that I'm surprised, you always did throw yourself into work whenever you wanted to avoid something."

"I'm not avoiding anything."

Her tail flickered and she rested her white head on her paws as she stared towards the window and the setting sun. "Then why won't you even look at me?" She inquired softly. She had been trying to act normally up to that point, she didn't know what else to do and she figured being herself was the best she could do given the circumstances.

Byakuya sighed, setting his pen down as he looked up at Sayomi. "If I was avoiding you I'm sure I could have done a better job seeing as how you've been following me around all day."

"Yet you've hardly said anything to me in the past few days. You're treating me like a nuisance."

"You are a nuisance."

She bristled, her tail twitching in annoyance as she stood. "Well, at least you're being honest now, but that was always something you were good at too. Sorry to have bothered you, Byakuya, I'll go and bother someone else and leave you in peace. It'll be like I'm dead, I'm sure that will suit you better. You did tell me to return to the dead after all."

"Sayomi." But before Byakuya could speak up, she was gone. Out of the window and into the quickly approaching night.

Sayomi wandered around Soul Society, all too aware of the breeze that was picking up and the scent of rain that was on the air. She ignored it though and continued walking aimlessly through the streets. Even when it began to rain, she kept on walking, oblivious to how her fur was sticking to her and the chill that was beginning to settle in her bones. It was as she was making her way towards the Thirteenth Division that she encountered a group of drunken men, men she could tell belonged to the Eleventh Division. She tried to give them a wide berth and avoid them, but one of them caught sight of her and a half drowned cat was far more entertaining than the crude jokes they had been telling.

She hissed and spit at them viciously while they tried to circle her, jeering and laughing. Not in the mood to be the punching bag for a bunch of drunks, she darted between them, and took off as quickly as she could. She wound up huddled and shivering beneath the little protection offered by an over hanging roof of the Ninth Division.

Not wanting to venture back into the rain, she stayed there and hoped the deluge would end soon so she could find some place warm to dry off and find some food and tea. However, her plans didn't go quite as planned and she found herself face to face with Rukia who was on her way home to the Kuchiki compound for the night.

"Hi there, little one," she said, her voice showing her concern as she reached out to tentatively scratch Sayomi's head. "What are you doing out here in this weather? Don't you have anywhere to go?" Rukia rubbed at the cat's head with a frown. "Poor thing, you're soaked and shivering. How about I take you home with me for the night?"

Sayomi gave a small meow of complaint when the girl tried to pick her up, the Kuchiki compound was what she was trying to avoid and being carried back, as pathetic as she was at the moment, didn't sound appealing. She could already imagine Byakuya's sigh and imagine what he'd have to say to make her feel small and insignificant. He had always been good at that, even when he wasn't trying.

When Rukia tried to calm her down, seeing how tense she was getting, Sayomi took off into the rain. The paving tiles were slick beneath her paws now, but she managed to not careen into any walls as she ran and turned a few corners in search of a new place to take shelter. She found herself hiding beneath a work bench near a section of wall that had been destroyed, likely in the excitement surrounding Aizen's betrayal. It was dry beneath the bench and a tarp had been tossed over it to keep the tools dry so it kept the wind from reaching her too. She shook as much water off as she could, spraying water all over the place, but not caring because it was better than being soaking wet and shivering.

She curled up under the work bench with every intention of waiting out the rain, a few people passed by her hiding place, but she was well hidden now and no one noticed her. Which was why it surprised her after nearly an hour when someone lifted the tarp and peered beneath the bench at her.

She stood up and stretched the stiffness from her bones before turning her back to the man who was watching her and lying back down, the tip of her tail twitching as if waving him away dismissively. She heard Byakuya sigh, but she ignored him and remained where she was. When she was grabbed lightly by the scruff of her neck, she growled threateningly, and glared at Byakuya as he held her up in front of his face.

"I was busy," she hissed though she let herself hand limply in his grasp.

"Drowning?" He asked dryly, an eyebrow tweaking up curiously.

She didn't reply, but did continue to glare at him. She must have looked pretty pathetic and ridiculous, but she didn't care. "Are you going to put me down?" She asked gruffly after a few seconds past.

"Are you going to follow me?"

She huffed. "No."

"Then no," he replied.

"What are you doing?" She protested when he gathered her in his arms and proceeded to cover her with his haori to protect her from the rain.

He ignored her question and her struggles to get free. When it become obvious that Byakuya wasn't letting her go she grudgingly relaxed. The warmth had lulled her into a light sleep during the walk back to the Kuchiki estate and she was surprised when she was set down on a rug in front of the fire that was going in his room.

"What were you thinking, Sayomi?" He asked after he set her down.

"Why do you care? Oh, because I'm no good to you or anyone else dead. Odd, because I thought that's what you wanted. Me, dead."

Byakuya sighed, there was no point in arguing with her. Not when she was so intent on being difficult. He let her make herself comfortable in front of the fire, her fur was still sticking to her body and he could see her shivering.

"Would you like some tea?" He offered.

"No." She sneezed after she answered, but shook it off and settled back down on the rug by the fire, ignoring Byakuya, whose eyes she could still feel on her.

"Why didn't you go to Ukitake's? You know he would have welcomed you."

She shifted position, but refused to answer.

"Do you always need to be so stubborn?" Byakuya asked.

She sneezed again, her small white body jolting with the force. "Yes."

"I'm going to call for some tea and food. You should eat and warm up before you catch a cold, if you haven't already."

Sayomi watched Byakuya leave the room and released a tired breath. She knew she was being stubborn, but he hadn't given her much reason to want to be anything else. Settling down, she closed her eyes and let the fire warm her up. When Byakuya returned, she didn't move or open her eyes. She drifted off to sleep as he moved about his room, not waking until a few moments later when the door slid open after a soft knock. The servant that entered was surprised to see her relaxing on her master's rug, but she said nothing and retreated from the room after setting the tray she carried down on a small, square table near the back of the room where the screens were slid open partially to allow some fresh air into the room and keep it from getting too warm because of the large fire.

Byakuya was sitting on a cushion at the table, a book in his hands that he scanned while picking at the food on the tray.

"You should eat, Sayomi," he said, catching her watching up.

Her tail flickered. "I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat."

"No, thank you. I wouldn't want to bother you."

"If I didn't want you here, you wouldn't be here," he pointed out.

"No? I thought you had to look after me, or did I hear wrong?"

"You're an adult, Sayomi, you can look after yourself. I offered to have you stay here because I thought you would be more comfortable here than with one of the other captains."

"..Why would you do that?" She asked curiously.

"I wanted to," he answered simply.

"Just like you wanted to see me being used in hopes of capturing my brother?"

"Would you rather have died?" He countered.

"Of course not," she snapped bitterly. "But I don't want to be used against my brother either."

"If your brother comes he'll be trying to take you back to Aizen. Back to the man who tried to kill you, Sayomi."

"He's my brother!"

"He's a traitor."

Flustered, Sayomi let herself change forms. She didn't care that she was huddled up on his rug naked and shivering, with her hair tangled over her and barely hiding her, but it was better than trying to argue in the form of a small, fluffy cat. "Your sister was deemed a traitor too, wasn't she? They tried to kill her, would have succeeded if not for the interference of Ichigo and his friends. You were going to let her be killed I hear, because you were trying to be the nobleman that everyone thought you should be. That you thought was expected. In the end though, you protected her, regardless of what was expected of you in upholding the law. I don't care what my brother has done, he's still my brother, just as Rukia is still your sister."

"That wasn't the same," he replied, rising from where he sat and slipping his haori from his shoulders. "Rukia didn't try to kill you, didn't try to destroy Soul Society and she was innocent. Your brother is not. Even you know that." He carefully placed his haori around Sayomi's shoulders, covering her naked body. "You're shaking."

"I do that sometimes when I'm angry."

"You can be angry, Sayomi. I wouldn't expect you to be happy about what's being asked of you, but you have to understand-"

"I do understand, but that doesn't make it fair. I'm tired of hurting everyone I care about, Byakuya. I'm tired of disappointing them and betraying them. You should have just let them kill me. You, Kyoraku, and Ukitake should have just left me alone." She closed her eyes, hoping to keep the tears that were threatening to fill her eyes at bay. Her head dropped and she let her hair that was still quite damp cascade over her shoulder and hide her face.

He lightly ran a hand over her cheek, brushing some of her hair back and out of her face. "You would make me lose you again? Just so you could be at peace?"

Her pale blue eyes fluttered open and she stared at Byakuya, speechless.

He stood up and offered her his hand. "The food is getting cold."

She held his haori closed over her body with one hand and let him help her to feet and lead her to the table. She sat on a pillow and stared blankly at the food on the table.

"Eat," Byakuya urged, but he didn't sit back down himself. Instead he made his way to the door and slipped into the hall.

There wasn't much, just a small dinner of miso soup, rice and tempura vegetables and some chicken. She sipped at the soup and nibbled at some of the other items. She hadn't realized how hungry she was, perhaps it was because as a cat she had a small stomach and therefore smaller appetite, but now that she was back to her usual self so was her usual appetite. Byakuya was only gone for a few minutes, but when he returned she had already finished the soup, vegetables and most of the chicken and rice.

He eyed the food and the bite she was raising to her mouth with a raised brow. "I thought you weren't hungry?" He asked, a slight teasing note to his voice.

"Lied," she replied before popping another bite into her mouth.

"There's a hot bath waiting for you across the hall," he told her, sitting back down at the table. "The staff have instructions to leave me be for the rest of the night unless called for. They won't be venturing to this side of the estate so you can take your time and not worry about being seen."

"Thank you." She finished her last bite of chicken and started to rise, making sure Byakuya's haori stayed closed as she did so. She made for the door, but paused and glanced over her shoulder.

Byakuya was reading the book he had set down earlier. He looked different now than she remembered, he had never really cared for reading or studying when they were younger so it was an interesting change to see him so relaxed with a book. He had liked being outside, had liked terrorizing her when ever they were training with Yoruichi, or she gave him the opportunity. The memories made her smile, he had been such a hot head in his youth, but he had obviously grown out of that stage. While somethings had changes, some hadn't. He still hadn't lost his ability to make her feel at ease, to make her momentarily forget about whatever was troubling her.

Sighing, she slipped out of the door and across the hall to find that a hot bath was indeed waiting for her. The hot water made her skin turn a bright shade of red as she settled herself into the tub, but she didn't mind. The warmth felt nice after having spent several hours in the rain. It felt like the cold was being sapped out of her bones where it had settled and had then refused to leave. She didn't want to leave the warmth of the water, but she knew it would grow cold in time so she washed her hair, scrubbed her skin until it felt raw and sat in the now lightly earthy smelling water until it began to cool too much for her liking. The bath was the first real one she had been able to indulge since before leaving Hueco Muendo. That wasn't to say she hadn't bathed, but a metal tub of luke warm water and harsh soap paled in comparison to the large tub and high quality soaps she was currently indulging in while also thinking about the past.

About Byakuya and how much he had changed, how much she had changed.

* * *

><p>"<em>Is it just me, Byakuya, or are you a little annoyed with me?" Sayomi asked, smirking as she placed her hands on her hips and watched the young black haired man lower the wooden sword he had been practicing with to his side. <em>

_The two were standing on the far edge of the Kuchiki compound. It was more open here and green, surrounded by trees that kept people from spying on the excitable and quick tempered young man as he practiced. _

_The young man's gray eyes narrowed slightly at Sayomi, she was out of the school uniform he had become accustomed to seeing her in and was wearing a pale blue kimono with white flowers along the right side of it with a plain white obi. She was almost always in some shade of blue. It was her favorite color and it suited her pale skin and snow white hair, not that Byakuya had any intention of telling her that. _

"_Are you going to answer me or just stare at me?" Sayomi asked, folding her arms over her chest, grinning when Byakuya snorted at her and turned his head away, his long ponytail whipping through the air._

"_Why would you assume I was annoyed with you?" He finally asked arrogantly._

"_Oh I don't know..maybe because I've only been at the Academy for six months, but I can already fight on the same level as you and you've been there a year," she replied smoothly, fighting back the urge to snicker at the twitch her words elicited from the thin young man before her._

"_How dare you compare yourself to me. I'm the top student at the Academy and no short little girl is going to surpass me," Byakuya retorted stiffly._

_Her brow twitching at the insult since she was quite sensitive about her height being that she was the shortest person in the Academy at the moment even though there were plenty of people younger than her. Sayomi sniffed indignantly and tossed her head to the side so she wouldn't have to look at the noble anymore. "Need I remind you, Byakuya, that we both had the same teacher and only one of us has been able to master changing forms."_

"_Why would I care? I have no desire to turn into a filthy feline."_

"_Or are you just mad that I'm capable of something you're not?" Sayomi smirked._

"_Hn," he snorted, shrugging a shoulder in disdain. "That's the only thing you can do that I can't. Don't let it go to your head, Sayomi."_

"_Fine, I won't, but I bet I can beat you in a game of chase the devil," she answered, smiling lopsidedly since she knew he wouldn't back down from the challenge. _

_Glaring at her, Byakuya dropped the wooden sword to the ground and immediately flashed towards her. She giggled before easily flashing out of his reach. There were angered curses and shouts from the unhappy Kuchiki, which only made Sayomi laugh harder as she tugged at the constricting fabric of her kimono and flashed out of his reach again and again. After nearly a half hour of evading the young man and not being able to tag him to win the game either, Sayomi began to grow tired. She wasn't used to running around in the rather heavy kimono and having to hold it out of the way was making things much more difficult than they needed to be for her. _

_Noticing that Sayomi was beginning to slow down, Byakuya sped up, he too was growing tired, but he wasn't about to lose to a girl. He came up behind her and with a proud smirk reached forward to touch her shoulder. He found himself confused however when he landed on a branch just behind her and she suddenly disappeared. He heard her breathless laugh before something pushed him forward and he fell off the branch. Landing on his butt in the grass below, he glared up through the leaves to see Sayomi smirking down at him and waving her fingers at him tauntingly._

"_Sorry about that, but I'm getting tired and wanted to end it already. You didn't take into account that I can turn quicker and easier than you since I'm such a short little girl. You underestimated me, Byakuya, which is why you're sitting down there on your butt while I'm up here," Sayomi called down happily._

"_You cheated," he grumbled, pushing himself up and brushing the dirt from his clothing. _

"_I did not and you know it. Just admit that you lost."_

"_Never."_

"_Such pride, Byakuya," she sighed sarcastically._

"_What would you know of pride?" He snapped harshly in his agitation. "No noblewoman would be standing in a tree holding her kimono in such a fashion, it's distasteful." He had hit a sore spot and he knew it the second Sayomi's smile fell and her entire demeanor changed. Part of him wanted to apologize for his words, he knew that Sayomi was sensitive over the fact that she wasn't an actual noblewoman even if she was now accepted as one, but his pride wouldn't allow him._

"_You're right, sorry for having troubled you, Byakuya-sama. I'll be going now," Sayomi said blandly, jumping from the tree, her back to him as she smoothed out her kimono and started to walk away from him._

* * *

><p>She chuckled quietly to herself as the memory faded away, thinking that perhaps she hadn't changed as much as she had thought. She was certainly still too stubborn for her own good.<p>

There was a neatly folded, fluffy towel waiting for her on a wooden bench and she rose out of the water, retrieving the towel and drying herself off. She squeezed as much moisture from her hair as she could before using a soft bristled brush to comb through it and leaving it to hang down her back so it would dry more quickly. The vanity she had found the brush on also had a few lotions, she helped herself to one that smelled slightly sweet and earthy.

Feeling much better than she had when she had first been brought back to the estate, she toweled off her hair again and brushed it out once more before braiding it and letting it rest over her shoulder. With the towel wrapped around her now, she picked up Byakuya's haori from where she had folded it and set it on the same table the towel had been on. She made her way across the hall and back to Byakuya's room, where she flushed when he looked up at her.

"I didn't think you wanted me running around in your haori," she said, holding out the folded cloth to him.

He rose and took the haori from her. "Let me get something for you to wear." He slid open the door to his closet, which he disappeared into leaving her staring awkwardly around his spacious room. "Lieutenant Matsumoto brought this for you," he said as he reappeared, holding a small bundle out to her. "I'm assuming its clothes."

Sayomi took the bundle and untied the string that was holding it closed. Byakuya had been right, it was clothes. A deep blue yukata with a pattern of white snowflakes and swirling clouds adorning it. A silvery gray tie was with the yukata, which Sayomi realized was made of a light, flowing fabric and made it a better option for relaxing around the house rather than for being worn out. Rangiku knew she wouldn't be out and about in human form and that something loose and comfortable would be more appreciated than something a little more stiff and uncomfortable.

She slipped the yukata on over her towel, turning her back to Byakuya as she removed the towel so she could tie the yukata in place. She folded the towel and set it aside before taking a seat in one of the chairs by the fire. She was still slightly chill and her hair was still damp, she wanted to give it time to dry and also stay warm.

The warmth and quiet lulled her to sleep after awhile, but she woke with a start some time later to find the fire considerably less active as she was lifted off the chair. "Byakuya?" She inquired sleepily, looking up to see his face. She noted vaguely that he had changed into a loose robe and his hair was now free of the kenseikan he usually had it in. It looked slightly damp too, she figured he must have cleaned up himself at some point while she dozed.

He didn't say anything as he carried her to his bed and gently laid her down before pulling the sheets over her. "Get some rest, Sayomi," he told her softly. He hovered over a moment before placing a soft kiss against her forehead. "You're warm," he observed, placing a hand on her head.

"I feel fine," she replied, feeling the need to assure him she was despite the fact her head was beginning to ache. "Just tired." And that wasn't a lie, she was exhausted.

"Get some rest," he said again, beginning to turn away.

"Byakuya," Sayomi called, but stopped hesitantly as he turned around. "If I asked you to stay... would you?"

He seemed somewhat taken aback by the question as he stared back at her thoughtfully for several long moments.

"I shouldn't have asked," Sayomi said quietly. "It's been a long week and I'm tired, I'm sorry."

When he sat down on the bed and brushed some of her hair that had come free of her braid from her face, she let her eyes close at the familiar feel of his skin as it lightly brushed over her cheek.

"If you ask me to stay, I will," he told her.

Her eyes fluttered open and met his, her throat felt dry all of a sudden and her stomach far too light and airy. "Stay?" She managed to ask, her hand taking his and pressing it against her cheek. "Please."

He brushed a feathery kiss against her forehead as he climbed in beside her. He lay on his side next to her and absently caressed her cheek. When she rolled onto her side, facing him, he let her curl herself up against him as he laid on his back. She seemed so small, much smaller than he remembered her being as she laid beside him, safe and warm in his arms. He liked the feeling of having her beside him, it felt as if she belonged there, but things weren't what they once had been. Too much had happened, too much had changed.

As he watched her sleep, he wondered if she realized how easily he could see through her. She had been trying to act as if she wasn't affected by what was going on, as if she didn't have a care in the world. He knew her well enough to know that wasn't true. That she was struggling to deal with the orders the Head Captain had given and her loyalty to both her brother and Soul Society. She had always been loyal to Soul Society, he had no doubt about that, but her family had always been important to her. Her brother especially now that he was all she felt she had left.

She had been put in a difficult situation, he knew she didn't want to help capture her own brother, but he also knew she wouldn't leave Soul Society with him either. Or would she? He sighed, frowning as he brushed the thought aside and closed his eyes. He hadn't been sleeping well in the past several days and was actually quite tired. Sayomi's warmth and her slow, rhythmic breathing helped to lull him into a peaceful slumber.

He awoke before Sayomi, but the sleeping woman looked so peaceful, more so than he was used to seeing her, that he hesitated to wake her up. For several minutes he remained still, but ended up catching himself absently brushing her hair out of her face while he stared at her peaceful face. His thoughts turned back to the previous night and he found himself wondering whether Sayomi would return to Hueco Muendo or not. If her brother was put in danger he found himself believing that she would return, and that she would never make it back out again. She would not want to help Aizen, he knew that, but she would try to stop him, and she would likely die trying.

With a sigh, he carefully removed himself from Sayomi's arms, and her from his. She stirred as he moved, but didn't seem to be awake. It wasn't until he made to stand up that her small fingers wrapped around his wrist loosely. He looked over his shoulder at her, her eyes were still foggy with sleep, her eyelids heavy and hard for her to keep open.

"Thank you," she murmured softly. "For staying."

He stared at her for a moment before turning to face her again. He gently let the backs of his fingers brush over her cheek, watching her as her eyes fluttered closed and she breathed a content sigh. "You'll go back, won't you?"

She blinked up at him, her sleepy confusion evident as she shook her head and sat up. "Go back?"

"To Hueco Muendo."

She jolted, feeling almost as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head. Her eyes widened for a moment, but then she sighed and shook her head. "Why would I go back, Byakuya? I have no desire to help Aizen, you know that."

"I do, but you want to stop him. And you want to save your brother."

Closing her eyes, she released a soft breath and reopened them to stare down at her hands. "Even if I did go back, I know better than to believe I'd stop Aizen. I would only get myself killed."

"And your brother?" Byakuya questioned.

Her jaw tightened and she looked away from Byakuya's searching eyes. After a moment, her shoulders slumped and she leaned her head against Byakuya's shoulder. "I love my brother, but..."

"He's a traitor?"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Sayomi gave a small nod. "He made his choice, I can't change that."

"So you won't go back?" Byakuya asked, tilting her chin up so he could see her face though she turned her face away and hastily wiped away a tear that she didn't want him to see. "Sayomi-"

"I'm not going back, Byakuya. I don't belong in Hueco Muendo. I don't belong anywhere anymore."

"...There's something I think you should see," he told her, rising from the bed and holding a hand out to her.

A sense of uncertainty washed over her, but she nodded and began to stand with every intention of changing forms. Instead, Byakuya had suddenly taken a hold of her hand and pulled her towards him before lifting her into his arms. Her heartbeat quickened in surprise as she found herself held against his chest as he made his way to the doors leading out to the gardens.

"Shouldn't I change-" She was never able to finish her question, Byakuya had flash stepped and they were no longer in his garden or even in the Kuchiki compound."B-Byakuya..." She asked in a questioning whisper, she had no idea what was going on or why she was in his arms as he flashed his way through the Seireitei, both of them still rumpled from sleep.

He didn't reply to her, he just took a few more long flash steps before coming to a halt in front of a large fountain that had at one point been gurgling and full of water, but was now nothing more than an empty stone basin with many cracked and weed covered, dirty stones. The grass around the fountain was overgrown and weeds had sprouted up throughout the surrounding clearing, the path that had once circled the fountain was indiscernible amongst all of the wild foliage.

Blinking, Sayomi took a look around them as she was lowered to her own feet. Not recognizing where they were or that she was even on her feet, she stayed near to Byakuya, her brows drawing together in thought as she scanned the trees and overgrown clearing before her eyes came upon the old stone fountain again. With a gasp, her eyes widened and she clutched at Byakuya's arm for support for a moment. Taking a small breath and swallowing the lump that was quickly forming in her throat, she released Byakuya's arm and began to slowly walk forward toward a small break in the tree line that most people likely wouldn't have noticed.

Dirt and leaves crunched beneath her bare feet as the grass parted around her until she reached the small opening and dirt gave way to cold, hard stone. There was no thought in her mind as she blindly followed the path that even she, the last owner, could hardly recognize. Her legs moved on their own as her eyes tried to search for something they couldn't find through the thick tangle of foliage and tree branches. The forgotten and untamed landscape began to melt away after several long, hesitant strides and was replaced by images of the past and the beauty that had once been her home. As the visions began to fade her legs began to move faster until she was running, her arms pumping at her sides. Her braided hair came loose as she ran, flying out behind her as her bare feet slapped against the uneven tiles of the pathway she had walked so many times as she had grown.

She came to an abrupt halt, almost falling over as she looked upon the dilapidated wooden structure in front of her. Many of the blue tiles that had covered the roof were missing, the screens that had covered the windows were torn and yellowed, and the hall that wrapped around the building leading to several more buildings was lopsided in places, broken and splintered in others. What had once been a lively, colorful and well kept home was now nothing but a sad and empty mess of useless weeds and broken dreams. She continued walking around the houses until she came to a short stone wall. Resting her hand against the cool, smooth stone she let her fingers trail over the surface as she made her way to an opening a few yards ahead of her. When she reached it, she stopped, but didn't turn to look at the building the wall surrounded.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked quietly, her hand still on the wall as she stared down at her dirty feet.

"This is your home," Byakuya replied, pushing aside a low hanging branch to step beside her on the broken, barely visible path.

"This was my home," she said. "It's not anymore."

"Then why won't you look at it?"

"I've seen enough of it to know what I'd find."

"Then it shouldn't be that hard to look, should it?"

Sayomi closed her eyes, she didn't want to look at the building the wall was hiding. Didn't want to see the ruin that it had fallen victim to when she had been forced to abandon it a century before. She could still picture the mausoleum that housed the Himura clan, the pale stone, the sloping roof and austere facade that had always awed her as a child. The two small ponds that sat serenely on either side of the walkway leading to the two doors that would allow access into the mausoleum. She had spent many days standing almost in this exact spot, staring at the monument that held the remains of her mother and father. She didn't want to see it now, not in the same state as the rest of compound. Shame washed over her as she thought of the state the tomb must be in, it should never have been able to fall into such a state. It housed the ancestors of the clan that accepted her, that had brought her into their family as one of their own.

She started when a gentle finger wiped away a trail of tears she hadn't noticed slipping from her eyes. Eyelids fluttering, she looked up at Byakuya, but before she could open her mouth to ask to leave, Byakuya spoke.

"Look, Sayomi," he pressed lightly, turning his own head to look in the direction of the tomb.

She closed her eyes again, her heart beating heavily, sadly, in her chest. Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned towards the Himura tomb and opened her eyes. The sight that greeted her was not what she had expected.

Her lips parted as a surprised gasp slipped from her her lips. Blinking her blue eyes, she ignored the tears that slid down her cheeks, she didn't care about appearing weak or sentimental. Closing her eyes for a moment, Sayomi tried to make sense of what she had seen, of how everything here could look just as it had a century ago while the rest of the estate was in a state of decay and abandonment. When she reopened her eyes she knew it wasn't just wishful thinking, that she wasn't hallucinating or seeing what it was she wanted to see. She didn't know why, but seeing the mausoleum as it should be, not crumbling and falling apart, made something inside of her break.

Byakuya caught her before her knees could give out and she could collapse onto the stone, her tears now falling quickly while she tried to hold back her sobs. "It wasn't your fault," he told her softly. "You didn't know what would happen when you went to aid the others that night. Don't blame yourself for what was beyond your control. When you disappeared there was no one to look after the estate, the servants all found other jobs or returned to their families, leaving the grounds and houses to fall into ruin. Since we were not yet married I had no control over what happened to the estate and could do nothing as it slowly decayed, but just because I couldn't do anything about the estate didn't mean I would leave the mausoleum to the same fate."

"Why?" She asked thickly, grasping onto him and hiding her face in his chest.

"..Do you really need to ask, Sayomi?" He inquired quietly, smoothing her hair and carefully removing a leaf that had tangled itself in the long, wavy locks.

Her body shook and muffled sobs escaped from her lips as she held tightly to the man she had once been engaged to. It felt as if all of the emotion she had kept locked inside of herself, all of the pain, sadness, and anger was fighting to get out and all she could do was clutch him and hope she didn't lose herself in the confusion. She hadn't realized how much she had still clung on to her past, how much all of it still meant to her even after being away from it for so long, and how much she wanted it, all of it, back. That's what hurt most of all, knowing that she would never get any of it back. Never be able to repair the damage to the home her parents had given her, entrusted to her upon their death and never be able to show her thanks for their kindness by making sure it never again fell into disrepair.

It took her several minutes to regain control over her emotions and when she pulled away from Byakuya, she avoided looking up at him as she turned to face the mausoleum that held her the remains of her parents. She had been away a long time and they deserved to know why. Byakuya didn't question her as she walked down the path to the stone doors that easily pushed open to allow her entrance. Even the interior looked just as she remembered it, the family shrine and all.

Kneeling in front of the stone shrine, she offered a small prayer and apology to her ancestors for not being there as she should have been to look after them. When she stood, she walked to the back wall that was almost lost in shadow since the gray day didn't allow much light through the frosted windows. It wasn't difficult to find the stone that bore the names of her mother and father. Lightly touching the cool, smooth surface she smiled sadly before apologizing for her absence and not bringing anything with her to offer them.

It was as she was turning to walk away that she noticed a bundle of dried flowers resting in the niche beside that of her parents. Curious because she couldn't recall anyone having been placed in that niche, she picked up the flowers to see that they were a mix of various winter blossoms. She knew that they had once been vibrant blues and bright whites, and she knew where they had come from. The Kuchiki garden.

She set the flowers carefully back down and lightly touched the stone behind them. It was too dim to be able to read the name, but she didn't need to see the stone to know that it was her name that had been carved in to it. Removing her hand from the stone, she turned away and made her way back outside to where Byakuya was waiting. She felt drained now, emotionally and physically. All she wanted at that moment was another hot bath and some hot tea before lying down to sleep.

* * *

><p>~AN~

Sigh.. That's really all I've got. It's been a long few weeks and I feel really old all of a sudden. I'm working two jobs for a few weeks, then it's down to one, but in the meantime I'm still going to school full time too. I'm tired. I'm going to try and update "Shadows" and "Bonds of Betrayal" soon too, so be on the look out for those. :)

And as always thanks very much to all of my lovely reviewers! You're the bestest!

Now, if you would be so kind, please feed the monster. He's super grumpy after such a long wait... Poor monster.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 23**

**Somethings Don't Change**

"Sayomi?"

Blinking, Sayomi looked up at Byakuya. He had just set her down on a chair near the fireplace and was looking her over with concern. She was shivering and her clothes and hair were damp from the rain that had begun falling again. Seeing his concern, his worry for her made her heart ache. Reminded her of all that she had lost, of all she wanted back. Of all the things she could never have, and never change. She loved him, she forever would, but she did not belong in Soul Society and her time there would ultimately come to an end. Their time together would as well. She didn't know whether to take advantage of that time or run from it to keep it from hurting each of them any more than it already would when they had to part ways again.

Her fingers curled, clutching at the cushion on either side of her legs. Bowing her head, she closed her eyes and willed herself not to cry again. Taking a shaky breath, she pushed the dull ache that was growing in her chest away and stood up while avoiding looking at Byakuya.

"I think I'm going to take a warm bath," she muttered softly. As she made to step around Byakuya, the dark haired man lightly took hold of her hand. Closing her eyes, she shook her head. "Thank you," she whispered softly. "For everything you've done for me, Byakuya, but... I can't do this. I can't just pretend that everything is going to be fine. I.."

Byakuya quietly shushed her as he brushed a stray tear from her cheek and tilted her face up to his. "We don't know what's going to happen in the future, Sayomi, but I'm not losing you again."

Her blue eyes reopened, blinking several tears away while she shook her head. "How can you say that? You can't tell me that somethings haven't changed, that you won't lose me again.. Everything has changed... We both moved on."

Dark, smoky eyes studying her, Byakuya sighed and brushed another tear from Sayomi's cheek. "Did we?" He inquired softly, his finger caressing her cheek.

"I had Kensei, and you were married, Byakuya," Sayomi pointed out. "That sounds like moving on to me."

"So you forgot me?"

She shook her head, bringing her hands to her face and rubbing at her eyes, feeling confused and lost. "No, I-"

"I never forgot you, Sayomi. I loved Hisana, but our time together was short. I thought you were dead, but I never forgot you or what we had. Just as I will never forget Hisana or the time we shared. Just I'm sure you will never forget what you had with Kensei. We don't know what the future will bring, Sayomi." Lightly wiping the tears from her delicate cheeks, Byakuya pressed his forehead to hers and gazed into her eyes. "It might just surprise you."

She couldn't help the intake of breath she took, or the way her eyes fluttered closed, when his lips tenderly, tentatively, pressed briefly against her own. When their lips met again they feverishly moved together while the two pulled each other as close as possible.

Breathless and flushed, Sayomi pulled away from Byakuya. "Byakuya, we-"

"I'm not losing you again, Sayomi," he cut in. His hand was behind her head, pulling her back towards him.

She hesitated, and Byakuya paused to look into her eyes that she turned away. ".. You can't promise that. We don't know what's going to happen, Byakuya. Not just with me, but with this war."

"All the more reason we should take advantage of the time we have together."

Her blue eyes focused on his again. She was frightened of what the future would hold, but Byakuya was right. It was all the more reason to enjoy what time they had together now, they didn't know if there would be another chance. They had already missed the chance to spend their lives together, but that didn't mean that they couldn't remember the love they still shared for one another even after all the time that had passed. She tugged the loose tie holding the kimono she wore closed, letting it fall off the side of the bed before she slipped her hand beneath Byakuya's haori and slid it from his shoulders.

"I love you," she whispered, leaning forward to place her lips on his again.

* * *

><p>Sayomi awoke with a start, sitting up slowly as she looked around the room. Byakuya was nowhere to be seen. The light outside of the screened windows was fairly bright so she figured it was sometime in the afternoon and that the diligent captain had decided to go to work while she slept. On the table a few yards away she noticed that there was a plate with a cover over it as well as a pitcher of water and what looked like a bag beside the pitcher with a note beside it.<p>

Wincing as she rose from the bed, her body stiff, she shrugged on one of Byakuya's sleeping kimono that had been left for her on the edge of the bed. It was far too large, but it was better than nothing and the yukata she had worn earlier was nowhere to be seen. She thought it was possible Byakuya was having it cleaned since it had gotten rather dirty during their trip to her old home.

Once the kimono was tied securely in place, she made her way to the table and slowly lowered herself onto a pillow. Reaching for the note, she scanned the crisp, elegant writing before setting it back down on the table with a sigh. Worried about the slight fever she had had since the day before he had gone to Unohana after she had fallen asleep, the woman had given him a few tablets for her to take with food and water to help reduce her fever and treat the cold she most likely had contracted while running around in the rain and the cold.

Lifting the cover from the plate she smiled to see a simple arrangement that included several pieces of vegetable sushi, a sliced rolled omelet, and a pickled cucumber salad. It wasn't much, but it was all food that would keep while she slept, it was also food Byakuya didn't much care for himself and she could only imagine the looks on the faces of his staff when he had requested the food. Not to mention the looks when he had taken the food to his room himself, because he wouldn't have let anyone else in while she slept.

She began picking at the food on the table, taking the pills left for her after she had something in her stomach, then continuing to eat. By the time she had finished eating, her headache had all but disappeared, and the aches from her body were gone as well.

"Unohana really is a miracle worker," she mumbled to herself, placing the cover back over the now empty tray.

Just as she was about to remove her hand from the lid, Byakuya's door slid open. She had been under the impression no one would be on that side of the house, and that no one would dare enter since Byakuya had explicitly ordered everyone not to do so.

She found herself staring wide-eyed and startled at a very surprised, and confused, Rukia Kuchiki. The two women stared at one another for several long seconds, both wondering what to do or say given the situation. After all, Sayomi had been deemed a traitor and was supposed to be in the Repentance Tower and not in the room of the Sixth Squad's captain wearing one of his robes and eating his food.

Sayomi was the first to speak, breaking the tense silence that was forming. "I don't suppose you'd just think you were seeing things if I transformed into a cat, would you?" she asked.

Rukia stared at her. "But.. you're... Why are you here?" Her hand was going towards the katana on her hip.

Sayomi held her hands up, the sleeves of the too large kimono falling down her thin arms, but she wanted Rukia to know she was defenseless and meant no harm. "I suppose it's a little late to lie..."

"Little bit," Rukia agreed haughtily, her fingers curling around the hilt of her katana.

"Come in and shut the door behind you," Sayomi advised with a sigh, glancing into the hall behind Rukia worriedly. "No one here can see me. It's one thing to explain it to you, another to the staff."

"Why are you here?" Rukia repeated, closing the door and stepping closer to the table.

Figuring it best to jump to the point, Sayomi answered honestly and quickly. "I was never sent to the Tower. Someone else was sent in my place. I don't know what you've been told, but there are suspicions that someone, possibly my brother.. you do know who my-"

"Gin Ichimaru," Rukia cut in, knowing what she was asking.

Sayomi nodded. "Right, Gin. The head captain, and other captains, have agreed that it's a possibility that he, or possibly others, will be sent to stop the execution, and take me back to Hueco Muendo. Instead of placing me in the cell I have been put under your brother's care while someone else pretends to be me, and will pretend to be me until the day of my supposed execution. The execution itself is a ruse. If Gin does come, it won't be me he finds in the tower. The other captains will be nearby too, of course, but the hope is that they can capture whoever comes to get me, if anyone does in fact come. That's the plan as I know it at least."

Rukia studied the pale, white haired woman with a frown. "You don't think anyone will come, do you?"

Sayomi shrugged helplessly. "I honestly don't know."

"You don't want him to come, do you? Your brother?" Rukia asked.

She shook her head, offering a wan smile. "Of course not, I don't want to be used against my own brother, I love him."

Rukia looked utterly shocked. "But he-"

"I know what he's done!" Sayomi snapped heatedly before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before dropping her head into her hands. "I'm sorry, but I'm aware of what he's done. More so than you are, believe me, but... He is still my brother."

"What happens if they capture your brother?" Rukia asked, studying Sayomi who looked pale, tired and, while the woman tried to hide it, frightened.

"What do you think?" Sayomi replied tiredly. "Information will be gathered to better Soul Society's position in the upcoming war."

"But there is no guarantee that he'll tell us anything."

Smiling forlornly, Sayomi shook her head. "You're more naïve than I would have thought considering what you've been through. If my brother is captured there is one person he will speak to, one person he will not lie to."

Rukia blinked in understanding. "You?"

Nodding, Sayomi sighed. "Me. I know that may not seem like much, considering what the both of us have done, but Gin will not lie to me. Just as I will not lie to him."

Rukia frowned down at the white haired woman for a moment, before turning to go to the door. She knew Ichigo had faith in the woman, believed she was still on their side, but Rukia didn't know her the way Ichigo and the others did. She only knew of what Soul Society had told her, and then what she had seen of the woman's actions herself.

"That's my brother's, isn't it?" Rukia asked, gesturing towards Sayomi. "The kimono?"

Sayomi blinked at the girl, but nodded after a moment. "Yes, it is."

Rukia smiled warmly. "I'll be right back."

"What just happened?" Sayomi muttered to herself, watching the girl leave the room and close the door behind her.

A few moments later, while Sayomi was reading one of the books that had been on the table, the door reopened and Rukia stepped inside again. She jolted in surprise, looking up at the girl who had several neatly folded bundles in her arms.

"You're about the same height as me so these should fit you," Rukia said, offering the clothes to Sayomi who glanced at them almost suspiciously before glancing back up at her.

"Why are you doing this?" Sayomi asked curiously. "I'm a traitor, remember? You have no reason to be kind to me, or to trust me."

"That's not true, not entirely at least. I know what you did for Ichigo, for Orihime, and the others too. Ichigo believes in you, so do the others, and if you were really a traitor I don't think you'd be sitting around in my brother's bedroom in one of his dressing kimono."

"Pretty good point," Sayomi muttered, taking the clothes that Rukia was holding out to her. "Thank you."

"You're the little white cat, aren't you?" Rukia inquired. "I came in here because I heard something and was hoping to see the little white cat that had been following my brother. I even heard the staff talking about there being a little cat in here."

Chuckling, Sayomi nodded. "Yes, I am the little white cat. Your brother and I were both trained by Yoruichi, your brother just had a slightly harder time with the transformation than I did. Though he will never admit that. He just liked to say that he saw no reason to want to be a filthy feline. It comes in quite handy sometimes though."

Sayomi shared a few other stories about her childhood with the stubborn Kuchiki heir before Rukia needed to excuse herself. She was expected to help with a training session at the Thirteenth Division.

With little else to do, Sayomi slipped across the hall to bathe and change into one of the light kimonos Rukia had lent her. When she returned to Byakuya's room she laid back down in the large, soft bed she had shared with Byakuya that morning. His scent lingered on the sheets, on the pillows, it was comforting, familiar.

She spent a few hours reading one of the books Byakuya had left on the table. When her eyes tired of reading, she set the book aside and rolled on to her side. Closing her eyes she let her thoughts wander to the past. To the day it had been announced she was to marry Byakuya Kuchiki, the nobleman that to that point she had had a strained and complicated friendship with.

* * *

><p>"<em>Tenth seat?" Her father asked. "Good job, Sayomi. We all knew you would claim a seat, but we weren't expecting you to claim the same seat as Byakuya did upon entering the Sixth Division."<em>

_Sayomi smiled, sipping her tea while she waited for their dinner to be served. "Guess those lessons with Yoruichi have paid off." _

"_Well, congratulations, Sayomi," Ginrei Kuchiki offered, smiling warmly at her from the opposite side of the table. _

"_Thank you," she answered politely, glancing at Byakuya who was silently staring down at his plate. She didn't see why the Kuchiki head and Byakuya had had to be invited to the dinner to celebrate her placement into a squad and winning herself a seat. She would have rather had dinner with just her mother and father. _

_Her parents and Ginrei conversed back and forth about various topics, Sayomi and Byakuya would occasionally join in, but it was quite obvious that neither of them was all that interested in any of the topics. When dinner was served, Sayomi kept up enough chit chat to appear polite, but ignored most of everything else that was going on. That was until her father called her name and snapped her out of a a daydream in which she had soundly beaten the ninth seat and won a better seat for herself upon entering a squad than Byakuya had. She would have loved to see his face if she had beaten him at something._

"_I'm sorry, father, what?" She inquired, giving her full attention to her gray haired adoptive father. _

_The older man sighed, glancing at his wife beside him, making Sayomi suddenly uncomfortable as she wondered what in the world her parents were up to. Her mother's smile was too big, too happy and even Ginrei seemed to be smiling an unusually bright smile. Byakuya seemed to be as in the dark as she was, she could tell by the curious light in his eyes as he glanced between his grandfather and her own father. _

"_There is an announcement we would like to make," her father began, looking over at her and giving her his stern 'you better behave' look. _

"_Announcement?" She asked hesitantly._

"_Don't look so frightened, dear," her mother chided teasingly, patting her hand reassuringly. "It's a good announcement."_

"_As of today, Sayomi," Ginrei said, causing her to quickly turn her head to stare at the Kuchiki clan head. "You and Byakuya are engaged."_

_She blinked at the Kuchiki, his words not processing in her head. Plus, she didn't understand why he was telling her she was engaged, nor did she know why it mattered that Byakuya was too. "Engaged?" She asked. "To whom?"_

_Her question was apparently quite funny to everyone aside from herself and Byakuya, who looked just as confused as she was._

"_To each other of course, dear," her mother answered, still chuckling as she wiped tears from her eyes. _

"_Why?" She asked incredulously. _

_Her mother sighed and shook her head as if everything should have been incredibly obvious to Sayomi. "Because the two of you get along so well and would make a great match."_

"_Who said we got along? We barely talk unless we're insulting each other," Sayomi pointed out. _

"_Oh, Sayomi, you're such a silly child," her mother chuckled. _

"_I'm not being silly, I'm being serious," she grumbled. _

"_A toast," her father declared, holding up a glass of wine and smiling broadly. _

"_A toast," Ginrei and her mother chimed in._

* * *

><p>She took in a soft breath, the feathery touch on her cheek pulling her from her dream though sleep still clutched at her.<p>

"What were you dreaming?"

A drowsy smile tugged at her lips as she opened her eyes to see that Byakuya was sitting beside her, he was still in his uniform with this his captains haori on, she guessed he had just returned from work. "I was dreaming of the night we had dinner to celebrate my winning the tenth seat after being accepted into the Ninth Division. Do you remember?"

"It was the night we were engaged," Byakuya replied, tucking an errant strand of her white hair behind her ear as she rolled onto her back to look up at him.

Smiling, she nodded and hoped that the quickened beating of her heart as his fingers brushed over her neck was only echoing through her own body and not the entire room. "It was. We were so different back then."

"A lot was different back then, but somethings haven't changed." He leaned over her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead before he began to rise. "Dinner is being prepared. I'm going to bathe and change."

When Byakuya returned Sayomi had to slip into his closet as two servants came in, one bearing a tray with fresh hot tea and another a tray with several covered dishes. She couldn't help but wonder what his staff must have thought of their master's sudden change in eating habits, and his orders that they remain out of that wing of the manor without his permission. They probably thought he was having some kind of scandalous affair. The thought made her chuckle to herself.

While they ate Sayomi related the events of the day, mainly her unexpected meeting with Rukia. Byakuya was not entirely pleased, but he trusted Rukia enough to know there was no harm in her being aware of Sayomi's presence.

"There's to be a meeting tomorrow night, you're expected to attend," Byakuya informed her.

To that point the mood had been light and comfortable, but Byakuya's statement brought reality flooding back and the mood quickly sobered. The meeting of the following day was to discuss the day she was scheduled to die.

* * *

><p>When Sayomi awoke late the following morning she was alone again. Byakuya had had to leave for an early meeting with his division and would return later in the afternoon so they could attend the evening meeting together. She shuddered, pulling the soft sheet tighter around her body.<p>

While the execution was just a ruse to entrap her brother, should he arrive to take her back to Hueco Muendo, it didn't make it any less of a frightening prospect. If her brother was captured she would have to participate in his interrogation, and while all she would need to do would be to ask questions it did not mean that others would chose to simply talk to him. Regardless of his mistakes, Gin was still her brother and she didn't want to see him tortured or put to death for his sins. Things she knew she would be made to witness if they happened.

She slipped across the hall to clean up, taking her time in the warm, steaming water. When she had finished her bath, she retreated to Byakuya's room. She idled about for a little while, tried to read, but her mind kept wandering off. The evening's meeting and the following day's events were distracting her and making her head ache.

Lying back down in the bed and closing her eyes Sayomi attempted to slip into Fuyukaze's world. It wasn't as easy as it usually was, he wasn't with her as he always had been everyday since Byakuya had tied her bracelet to her wrist.

"_Silly child_," Fuyukaze sighed, his voice somewhat distant, muffled. "_You shouldn't be wasting your energy_. _You're still recovering_."

Sayomi turned to see that Fuyukaze was eying her with a slight smile. The world around them was blurred, she couldn't tell exactly where they were, but she figured inside one of the many caves that were spread across the landscape of their inner world. It was chill, but not as much as it would have been had they been outside. She had no doubt that being outside would have been quite uncomfortable at that moment. Their separation was likely making it nearly unbearably freezing and windy. Neither one of them was happy with being apart and it would take its toll on the inner world until they were completely reunited.

"And I would recover quicker if you were with me. I wasn't the only one damaged when my soul was attacked," Sayomi pointed out, folding her arms over her chest and shivering. It was colder than she was used to. "We won't recover, not fully, without being together. Which I suppose is part of the reason we're not together."

"_At least we're both in good hands for the time being_," Fuyukaze replied, a knowing grin on his pale face and mischievous glitter in his sky blue eyes.

"Oh, hush," Sayomi scolded lightly. "I'm not in the mood for teasing today."

"_What is it that's on your mind, little one? We should keep our time together short so you don't drain yourself of every ounce of reiatsu you've managed to recover._"

It was rather draining to visit the inner world where Fuyukaze dwelt. With the reiatsu suppressors binding her combined with Fuyukaze's distance the effort was many times more difficult than it should have been otherwise.

"So much to say and so little time," she sighed disconsolately. A worn, tired chuckle slipped from her lips when stepped forward to tap her on the nose with a smile.

"_We'll be together again soon enough. Supposing you can behave, anyway. Which we both know is rather unlikely_."

"It is, isn't it?" She murmured wearily, leaning forward she rested her forehead on Fuyukaze's shoulder and closed her eyes.

The white haired man embraced her gently and rested his chin on her head. "_You're such a worrisome child, hime. Always thinking too much_."

"I have little else to do but think."

"_I am only teasing, little one, but you do worry too much._"

"And what should I do, Fuyu? I'm expected to help capture my own brother and then assist in his interrogation. I don't want any part of this, but I don't see what other choice I have. Gin made choices I wish he hadn't, he will need to answer for those choices, it's just not fair that I have to be used against him. Despite his choices he is my brother, I love him and I don't want to see him hurt."

"_He won't blame you. He's still your big brother and that hasn't, and won't, change_." He smoothed Sayomi's hair before carefully pulling away from her with a smile. "_You should be going, Sayomi-sama_."

Nodding absently she squeezed Fuyukaze's hand and smiled wanly. "See you soon."

"_Of course_," he replied breezily, smiling brightly.

When she reopened her eyes she stared blankly up at the ceiling for several minutes before rolling onto her side and huddling beneath the soft sheets, hoping they would offer some form of comfort, of security. They didn't, of course, but Byakuya's scent still lingered and that at least offered a small amount of comfort.

She drifted into a fitful sleep. She was plagued by images of her childhood. Of growing up an unwanted orphan with only her brother to care for her, to protect her, and to teach her right from wrong. Something she thought he had done quite well.

When she awoke again her eyes were damp with tears she hadn't realized she had shed. Curling in on herself she tried to stop the tears from flowing from her eyes, to stop her body from shaking with emotion, but all she could manage was to hold back the sobs that threatened to spill from her trembling body.

Nothing was as it was supposed to be. Hadn't been for a very long time. She wasn't supposed to have been forced to flee her home, her fiance, her title and position because of some mad man's experiments. She wasn't supposed to be forced to betray a brother that really only ever had tried to protect her, to make sure she had everything she needed as she grew up. And she certainly wasn't supposed to be wondering when she would be told to die because that seemed a better alternative than watching her own brother die because of her. A better alternative than possibly ending up back in Aizen's reach if tomorrow's plans failed.

The sound of the door sliding open never reached her ears. She didn't even realize she was no longer alone until the bed shifted slightly and a warm, slightly calloused hand was placed on her shoulder. When her eyes opened in surprise, she saw Byakuya sitting beside her. Sitting up, she tried to wipe away her tears, looking down at her lap feeling embarrassed and somewhat ashamed of her loss of composure. When Byakuya quietly sighed and pulled her against his chest, she stiffened in surprise. She quickly relaxed into his arms, wrapping her own around him and clutching at him as if he were the only thing keeping the world from spinning violently out of control.

"I don't think I can do this, Byakuya. Not knowing what will happen to Gin if I do. I can't be responsible for killing him. He's my brother."

"I know what he means to you, Sayomi, but you're being selfish."

Sayomi felt as if he had slapped, she pulled away to stare coldly at him. "Selfish? Because I don't want to be a part of my brother's death?"

"No one is asking you to be a part of his death. All that's being asked of you is that you help find a way to stop Aizen. Your brother can quite possibly give us information that we need. That information and what it could mean for Soul Society, for that town you spent the last century in, is more important than one life. You, of all people, should be able to understand that."

Releasing a long breath, she sagged against Byakuya, her head on his shoulder. "It just seemed like it was so much easier when I was trying to do everything on my own, when it was my life that was going to be sacrificed. I can't do this on my own though, Aizen is far too strong. I just wish there was another way. Especially since there is no guarantee that should Gin be captured that he will know everything Aizen is doing, or how to stop him. Aizen isn't very trusting of anyone, even those he claims to trust. I know one life is nothing in the scope of things, but I just wish it didn't have to be his."

For several moments they sat in silence until Byakuya shifted and helped Sayomi sit up straight.

"The meeting is going to begin in fifteen minutes. We shouldn't be late," he told her.

"Of course not," she replied, attempting to smile. She shook her head, knowing her attempt had failed, and slid from the bed. "Would you mind carrying that yukata for me? I'd rather not have to stay in the form of a cat for the meeting."

* * *

><p>The smooth surface of the polished stone floor was cold beneath her bare feet and she suppressed a shiver as she stood in the center of the room. The Head Captain was before her, the captains and lieutenants in neat rows on either side of her.<p>

She stood as still as she could, holding herself with the same practiced air of pride and nobility that she had learned when she was younger, after her adoption by the Himura's. She tried to push her emotions to the back of her mind, to ignore the part of her that wanted to run away. There was no running away, there was only doing what she could to stop Aizen from destroying Karakura and Soul Society. If that meant she had to help in the capture of her brother, then she would do so. She would deal with keeping him alive later because she certainly had no intention of letting him being killed. Not if she could stop it.

"You are all aware of why you have been called together," the Head Captain rumbled. "Tomorrow morning there is a possibility that intruders will force their way into Seireitei. Their goal will be to retrieve Sayomi Himura. Should these events occur it is possible that former Captain Ichimaru will be among the intruders. If he is we must capture him. He may be able to provide us with information that may be invaluable in the coming months."

"And you think we'll be able to capture him alive?" Captain Hitsugaya asked brusquely.

"I do," Yamamoto answered simply. "We have something he wants."

Sayomi's jaw tensed, her icy blue eyes flickering.

"She's made it quite clear she wants nothing to do with this," Soi Fon pointed out harshly.

"What I said was that I wanted nothing to do with killing my own brother," Sayomi stated coolly. "And I don't. So if it's your goal to kill him, then I won't do anything to help you."

"No one said anything about killing anyone," Kyoraku cut in before someone else could argue and put Sayomi more on the defensive than she already was. "We only want to capture her brother. Isn't that right, old man Yama?"

The Head Captain studied Sayomi for a moment before sighing and nodding. "For now our only desire should be to capture him alive and see what information he can give us. After that we can decide his fate."

"And just how are we supposed to be capturing him?" Captain Zaraki asked gruffly.

"By doing what we had planned from the start and moving forward with the execution," Yamamoto replied.

"And if no one shows up?" Sayomi inquired. "What then? Are you going to kill me?"

"No," Yamamoto replied. "The orders for your execution were found to be inadequate. You are also more useful alive for the time being."

Sayomi's jaw tensed, but said nothing else throughout the entirety of the meeting which was over shortly after. The plan of action seemed simple enough, Sayomi would be taken to the Repentance Tower after the meeting and led out the following morning. Everything would proceed as if an execution was truly taking place.

If anyone showed up there would be captains and lieutenants nearby who would step in. Their orders were to kill anyone that wasn't Gin Ichimaru and capture him alive if he were present.

Byakuya accompanied Sayomi, who had shifted in to the form of a cat, along with two escorts to the Repentance Tower. She was given a white robe to wear and a blanket before the escorts stepped outside to allow a moment for the two talk.

"I'll be fine, Byakuya," Sayomi said, slipping into the thin white robe and securing it around her waist. "I wish I didn't have this stupid thing on," she sighed in annoyance, tugging at the band around her neck. "I'll be completely defenseless if anything happens. I don't like that idea." She tried to smile when Byakuya stepped closer to her, but found herself wide eyed and confused when he removed the suppressor around her throat. "What are you doing?"

"The Head Captain gave me permission to remove it," Byakuya replied. "I think he'd like to see what you do tomorrow should things not go as planned."

"I'm too old for tests," Sayomi groaned tiredly, rubbing at her neck and the slightly raw skin where the band had been.

"You were also never good at them," Byakuya retorted, smirking softly.

"Oh, shut up," Sayomi grumbled, sitting on the cold bench in the center of the room.

"Captain?" One of the escorts called into the dim room, his voice echoing in the shadows. "We need to go."

Byakuya glanced back at the man coolly.

"It's alright, Byakuya," Sayomi spoke up. "I'll be fine. I'll see you in the morning."

He kissed her forehead and straightened. "Good night, Sayomi."

"Good night," she replied, smiling as he strode from the room.

When the stone door slid shut, closing her in darkness, she exhaled wearily and laid down on the bench. The tower hadn't been built for comfort and there were few other places to lay aside from the floor. Sleep wasn't easy to find, but she did manage to get some rest before the sun rose and the stone door slid back open.

Four men stepped into the tower, there was another that stayed near the door, watching. All of the men were clad in white from head to toe. Maintaining the illusion that she really was being led out to her death, a shackle was placed around her neck and her hands were bound. Four lengths of rope made with kido grew out of the neck shackle and each of the four men took hold of one as they formed two rows around her and began to lead her from the tower. The fifth man that had remained at the door took position directly in front of her, he was the one that would lead the way to the cliff where the Sokyoku had once stood. She took a deep breath, fidgeting anxiously, as the man in front of her nodded to his subordinates and then turned and began to lead them from the Tower.

They had barely set foot out of the tower when a sudden, intense spiritual pressure bore down upon them all. If she had still had the reiatsu suppressor on she had no doubt she would have been driven to her knees. However, she was able to counter the pressure with her own, barely. She was still weak and without Fuyukaze she was still mostly useless.

She gasped, cringing when something wet and warm splashed across her face. It took her a moment to figure out what the substance was, but when she saw the red droplets on her white robe and the ground around her she looked up with wide eyes to see that the man at the lead had bent over and there was a puddle of blood gathering quickly beneath him. With a sickening cough the man fell forward into his own blood, twitching and writhing as death's grip found him.

Eyes wide, she turned to the others around her. They were all surprised, even though they had been expecting an attack, they had expected it later, on more open ground. "Go!" She shouted at the men.

The guards exchanged looks, nodded and disappeared leaving her standing on her own.

It was only a moment later that four men in familiar white clothing were suddenly surrounding her, there was one on either side of her, one behind her and one in front of her. The one to her right she knew was Grimmjow and he tore away the bonds around her hands and neck roughly before gripping on to her arm. He kept his grasp on her tight as the man in front of them, her brother, began to walk forward.

Stumbling, Sayomi was pulled along beside Grimmjow, her eyes focused on her brother who had not yet turned to look at her. She stared at his white clad back for several seconds as they walked into the open area that surrounded the base of the Repentance Tower before finally shaking Grimmjow's hands off and and running to her brother.

"It's a trap," she muttered, reaching for Gin's coat and letting her fingers close around the fabric. When he hummed and looked back at her, her head was bowed and her eyes were clenched shut. "I'm sorry, big brother, but I won't be leaving... Neither will you. This was all a set up in hopes you would show up. I... I..." She finally looked up, her eyes pleading. "I need to know something, Gin.. Whose side are you truly on?"

There was flicker of surprise on Gin's face and he opened his mouth to reply but any words that may have been said were drowned out in the blast that tore apart the ground where he had been standing. Sayomi could have sworn she saw a brief flash of pink, but she couldn't be sure as dirt and rocks hurtled into the air obscuring her view of the surrounding area. She protected herself as best she could with her arms, but still received several cuts and bruises from the falling debris. A moment later, a powerful flare in reiatsu made her stumble before she could gather her own enough to cancel it out.

Gin was grinning his usual grin when the dust cleared to reveal he was completely unharmed. A few yards away was Byakuya, his eyes cold and hard as he stared at Gin.

"It's so nice to see you again, Captain Kuchiki, how's your sister?" Gin asked jovially, dusting off his sleeve casually.

Byakuya's hand tightened around the hilt of his zanpakuto, but he didn't answer the question.

"Not very talkative, are you? " Gin sighed. "Well that's okay, I don't have much time and would like to get my own little sister home, she doesn't appear to be feeling well. I would have thought you would have taken better care of her."

"You would take your own sister back to the man that made her believe you were dead and then let his subordinate nearly kill her just to remove her soul from the gigai she inhabited?" Byakuya asked coldly.

His grin fell and was replaced by a frown. "So I should leave her here? With a group that plans on killing her?"

"And what makes you think we'll let you leave?" Rangiku asked, appearing behind Gin, her sword drawn and at his throat.

"Hello again, Rangiku, it's so nice to see you alive and well," Gin said conversationally.

"Let go of the girl, Espada," another voice demanded icily.

Turning, Sayomi saw that the voice belonged to the current captain of the tenth division, Toshiro Hitsugaya and he was glaring coldly at Grimmjow. She had forgotten the Espada was beside her even though he was gripping on to her arm.

"Fuck off," Grimmjow growled.

The young captain's brow twitched in anger, but he refrained from snapping out a reply.

"Hey, Grimmjow, why don't you get Sayomi out of here. I'll take care of the rest," Gin told him.

"You're not going anywhere," Hitsugaya growled, but he was forced to leap aside as a blade of sharp steel shot towards him it barely missed him and due to the angle it sliced through Grimmjow's sleeve.

"What the hell?!" Grimmjow shouted.

"Oops, sorry about that," Gin chuckled.

The distraction had been enough for Sayomi to push herself away from Grimmjow and start to head towards Byakuya. "You said you thought the Head Captain was testing me, right? Why don't we see if I can pass that test. Can I have Fuyukaze back please?"

Byakuya stared evenly at her for a moment before reaching into his haori and pulling out the silver bracelet with its blue ribbon. It glittered in the morning sun as he tossed it to Sayomi.

"Breathe," she murmured softly as the bracelet neared her.

It shattered into countless tiny snowflakes, swirling around on the wind before collecting in her hand. She was gone a moment later, reappearing over the bodies of the two nameless arrancar that had accompanied Gin and Grimmjow.

"What the hell are you doing?" Grimmjow snapped.

"I'm not quite recovered enough to fight you right now little kitty, so you're just going to have to make do with him," Sayomi replied, gesturing at Hitsugaya.

Gin hummed curiously. "Well, this is quite a predicament, isn't it? I wonder just what I should do."

"I would think that would be fairly obvious," Byakuya stated. "You cooperate."

"That doesn't really sound like much fun though," Gin sighed.

Gin's reiatsu flared followed by Byakuya's and then Rangiku's as she was forced to release her captive when his overwhelming amount of spirit energy assaulted her. That and she didn't want to be anywhere near the angry Kuchiki and risk getting caught up in the deadly dance of his zanpakuto.

"Enough games, Ichimaru," Byakuya intoned, raising his zanpakuto before him. "Scatter, Senbonzakura."

"No!" Sayomi cried, but her cry was lost in the blast of energy that tore chunks of the earth apart and sent them flying into the air. There was a flurry of pink petals mixed in with the falling earth that Sayomi knew were more deadly than the falling debris ever would be. "Gin! Byakuya, stop! Please!"

She tried to get near the two battling men that each meant the world to her in their own way, but halted, cringing when a loud explosion shook the ground of the hilltop. She heard a grunt of pain and whipped her head around to see that Byakuya was gripping his right arm with his left, blood pouring over his fingers and dripping to the ground, forming a small puddle of the substance. Through the dirt and dust that was floating and spinning through the air she could see her brother grinning at Byakuya and lifting his short sword, but what Gin didn't see was that the blade of Byakuya's sword had not reformed and that there were pink petals glittering all around him.

Rangiku saw the blur of white that shot past her, tried to call out Sayomi's name, but the white haired girl didn't hear it.

Just as Byakuya commanded Senbonzakura to close in on Gin and Gin was commanding Shinso to shoot down Byakuya, a blurry shape appeared in the dust. In the next blink the two men attacked.

The clash of power was incredible. The roar of it was nearly deafening.

Gin felt something push back against his sword, felt something roughly push against his chest and was forced to take several steps backward. Shinso's blade had already began to elongate and before he could recall it it tore through something soft and he heard someone let out a sickening cough before a flurry of pink surrounded the place he had been standing. Thick red liquid sprayed high into the air in every direction imaginable as he watched, a look of sheer incomprehension on his face. The look was very out of place on him and his normally closed eyes opened briefly to watch the horrible scene unfolding before him.

It took Byakuya a moment to realize what had happened and he quickly dispersed Senbonzakura, but it was too late. The dust fully cleared in a flurry of cool wind and the sight that his gray eyes looked upon made his stomach churn as he realized that the blood coating Senbonzakura was not Gin's, but the blood of a woman he had never wanted to see on his blade.

Sayomi was knelt on the ground, her hands on the hilt of Fuyukaze while the tip of the blade was pressed into the dirt. She was hunched forward, steadied only by the katana she was gripping onto tightly. A moment later the katana shattered, the pieces collecting and falling to the ground with a soft tinkling sound. She barely saw the bracelet that lay before her now as she breathed harsh, gasps of air. Her white hair was covered in splotches of red and the white robe she had worn was ripped to shreds and stained a deep crimson.

She pushed herself shakily to her feet. Everyone was speechless at the sight before them, frozen to their spots as they stared at the small woman covered in blood from head to toe.

Her vision was growing black, but the sting and pain of the many wounds that covered her was dimming. "Please," she whispered hoarsely, her voice cracking. "I.. I can't lose you both. N-not again," she managed to gasp out. Tears of blood streamed down her face before her body gave out on her, and she fell to her knees.

Being that Gin was closer to her than Byakuya, he was by her side in an instant. He brushed some of her hair from her face, leaving streaks where his fingers touched her skin. When she fell into his chest, gripping onto his coat with her bloodied hand, he held her close and bowed his head over her shoulder speaking only a few words. Words that only she could hear.

"Do you remember what I always used to tell you every night before you went to sleep?" Gin asked. "That hasn't changed."

Her thoughts were muddled, slow. She couldn't understand what he meant and she had no time to ask questions when several swords were suddenly at Gin's throat. Even Ichigo was there now, his face a mask of determined anger.

"Let her go," he ground out coldly.

"This party just keeps getting more interesting," Gin drawled.

"Let her go," Ichigo repeated. "Or I'll cut you in half."

"Now, now, just calm down," Gin chided lazily. "She is my little sister after all."

"I don't care," Ichigo growled. "Hey Rangiku, why don't you help her so this guy and I can have a little chat."

Rangiku stepped forward and after helping Sayomi stand, managed to help her walk a few steps away. It seemed the timing was perfect. There was a rumble like thunder above them before shafts of light appeared from rips that opened in the sky.

Gin smirked at Byakuya. "Take good care of her for me, would you?"

A realization seemed to dawn on Sayomi and she looked back at the ground near her brother's feet. "No!" She screamed. With as much strength as she could muster, she flew forward.

Her hand clasped around the bracelet just as the lights slammed down over she and Gin and Grimmjow, causing those near both men to leap backwards to avoid getting caught in the beams.

Gin frowned down Sayomi who was kneeling on the ground, her bracelet in her hand while her eyes met Byakuya's with remorse. "Guess I'll be taking care of you after all."

* * *

><p>~AN~

I have pretty much lost all of my muses. If anyone sees any of them will you please kindly ask that they return because I enjoy writing, but it's really hard to do without them...

Anywho, this is still following very closely to the story line in the original. Part of that is on purpose, part of it is because I've lost all my muses. However, it's hopefully still enjoyable.

Please feed the review monster. He is a hungry and grumpy and thanks you for the noms. ;)

Thank you everyone!


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer-I don't own Bleach

**Chapter 24**

**Fairytales**

Taking Gin's hand, Sayomi let him hold her up as they rose into the gaping dark hole in the otherwise bright blue sky above them. She glanced back down at Byakuya, he hadn't taken his smoky eyes from her.

"There's no getting out of this, is there, Gin?" She asked quietly, her pale blue eyes dull as she held Byakuya's gaze. There was so much that still needed to be said, so much that still needed to be fixed between them, but she wasn't even sure she would ever get to see him again.

He sighed forlornly. "'Fraid not, sis."

She leaned heavily against him, her head on his shoulder while her eyes began to flutter closed. "I'm tired."

Her body was heavy, the pain of her wounds had dulled, and her vision blurred as the world around her began to spin and fade. The darkness that was so quickly devouring her was welcome, it made the pain in her heart and the fear of not knowing what was going to happen fade away into a numb nothingness.

Gin easily caught her as her body went slack and lifted her gingerly into his arms. He stared at her for a moment, frowning at her face that looked peaceful in her unconsciousness. "You always were a handful," he sighed. "Always causing trouble.. I just don't know if I can get you out of it this time."

"Aizen-sama has need of your skills again, woman."

Orihime froze, her blood turning to ice in her veins at the sound of the familiar emotionless voice. Swallowing, she slowly turned to look into the green eyes of the Espada that had kidnapped her and had nearly killed Sayomi. She knew that alone she stood no chance against him and was trying to think of a way to buy herself time until Ichigo or someone could get to her. It didn't take her long to realize that it wouldn't be anytime soon when she felt the clashing reiatsu of her friend's as they were engaged in battle with the other arrancar that had also come to Karakura Town.

"I suggest you do as I ask, or do you not remember the deal we made?" Ulquiorra asked.

Gasping, Orihime took a step back as she recalled the reasons why her kidnapping had seemed like anything but a kidnapping. She had willingly agreed to go to Aizen because the lives of all of her friends had depended on it and she couldn't be the reason any one of them got hurt. Her arms went limp at her sides and her shoulders slumped, she had no choice but to go with him.

* * *

><p>Warmth. That was the first thing that Sayomi became aware of, a strange warmth that seemed to reach every inch of her soul. The warmth soon melted away as she became aware of the stinging pain she could feel in almost every inch of her body. She groaned and tried to move, but was stopped by a soft, comforting, and familiar voice.<p>

"Please don't move too much, Sayomi, you're still badly hurt."

Her eyes snapped open and Sayomi looked at the red headed girl that was sitting beside her. "Orihime?" she asked in confusion.

Smiling reassuringly Orihime nodded, but Sayomi knew the girl too well. The smile was too forced, fake. As the fog lifted from her mind and she realized where she was, Sayomi shot up, crying out and hunching over her knees as her body reflexively curled up in pain.

"Sayomi," Orihime cried worriedly, reaching forward to try and help Sayomi as her pale blue eyes squeezed shut and her face paled.

"Why are you here, Orihime? Why are you back in Hueco Muendo?" Sayomi inquired, her breaths shaky, her body trembling from the pain that was washing over her in waves.

The red headed girl hung her head, staring solemnly down at her hands. "Ulquiorra.. He showed up in Karakura and told me that Aizen needed me for something. I.. I didn't have a choice." Tears were filling her usually bright eyes while her hands balled up in her lap.

Sayomi sighed, slowly lying back down and staring up at the ceiling through a golden glow that was encircling her, Orihime's healing spell. She could tell by her surroundings that she was back in her room at Los Noches. "I'm sorry, Orihime. I have a feeling it was my fault you were brought back here."

Looking up at Sayomi, Orihime offered a small, teary eyed smile. "I don't think that, but I'm glad I can be here to help you heal. You were in really bad shape... What happened?"

"I was trying to stop my brother and Byakuya from killing each other, but..." She trailed off, a soft smile forming on her lips as she continued to stare up at the ceiling. "I don't think either of them were truly trying to kill one another. I should have trusted them, but I couldn't watch them fight like that.. I was so afraid of losing either of them again."

"Was the Soul Society really going to execute you?" Orihime inquired. "I heard your brother mention something about it being a trick."

"It was a trick. The execution orders were dismissed after a little unorthodox help from a few old friends. It was decided that instead of actually executing me they would use me as bait in hopes of luring my brother to Soul Society. They wanted to capture him and use me to get answers about Aizen's plans. I didn't want to help, but I had little choice... I never wanted to come back here," she murmured, closing her eyes and releasing a lonely, tired breath.

The door behind Orihime opened, allowing the bright white light that lit the hallway beyond it to pour into the room. Opening her eyes Sayomi turned her head to see around Orihime, a single tall figure had entered the room and was making its way towards them. It was Gin with his ever present grin.

"Ah, you're awake," he observed stepping beside the bed.

"So what now, big brother?" Sayomi inquired, trying to sound hopeful, but she knew the her smile and her eyes betrayed her.

There was no real reason to hope everything would be fine. She was back within Aizen's reach and it wasn't likely that the psycho was going to let her even remotely close to out of it again.

"Now we both keep our promise," he replied.

She stared up at him oddly, confused by his reply. "Our promise?" She repeated. "What are you talking about, Gin?"

He only smiled at her before shaking his head at her. "You've already messed up your sheets. Maybe I should tuck you in like old times? Tell you a bedtime story?" He teased.

"I do not need to be tucked in," Sayomi snapped irritably. "And you never told me bedtime stories."

Gin hummed, shrugging his shoulder. "No? Hm. I thought I did. I only wanted to check on ya, but I need to get going. Get some rest, Sayomi."

Watching her brother's back as he left the room, Sayomi frowned. She was missing something, forgetting something. Heaving a weary sigh she relaxed into her pillow and raised her right arm to place it over her eyes. The silver chain-link bracelet on her wrist tinkled quietly, sounding almost annoyed.

"What are you upset about?" Sayomi grumbled at the bracelet, lowering her arm back to her side.

"Sayomi?" Orihime questioned.

Blinking over at the young girl, Sayomi smiled. "Sorry, Orihime. It's nothing. I'm just tired."

"You should get some rest then," Orihime suggested kindly.

She nodded. "Yeah, I think I will. Thank you, Orihime, for looking after me."

The girl blushed profusely at the praise, chuckling in embarrassment. "It's really nothing."

Encased in the warm golden glow it was easy to let the world around her fade away, to let herself slip away to one of the few places she found comforting.

"_You're such a troublesome child, honestly._"

Cheek twitching, Sayomi opened her eyes to the world of Fuyukaze. They were in a large, circular cave with a bright, warm fire crackling invitingly in the center. Fuyukaze was sitting on the opposite side of the fire from her on a shelf of rock that acted as a sort bench.

"How am I troublesome this time, Fuyu?" She inquired haughtily, striding around the fire to take a seat beside the beautiful man.

"_When are you not troublesome_?"

Rolling her eyes, she leaned back against the rock. "When are you not an arrogant pain in the-"

"_You do realize that we're in a very bad situation, don't you?_"

"Of course I do. It can't be helped. What does that have to do with me being troublesome?"

"_You nearly got yourself killed. Again, Sayomi-hime. It's a very troublesome habit_." He sighed, shaking his head at her as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You were worried, Fuyu? How cute," Sayomi teased.

The man huffed, but wrapped his arm around her and rested his cheek against her head. "_I wasn't worried, I was appalled by your unladylike affinity for getting into trouble and nearly dying every few days."_

"Fuyu.. shut up," Sayomi mumbled. "You're being annoying."

"_I must get that from you_," he replied. "_Part of your soul and all_."

Sayomi sighed. "I don't want to be here either," she said softly, knowing part of the reason for Fuyukaze's annoyance was their return to Hueco Muendo.

"_I know, little one. I just don't like it here. Plus, I've been cooped up with that annoying Senbonzakura for my only company. That's enough to make anyone a little less than pleasant._"

"The old rivalry is still strong, I take it?" Sayomi asked with a chuckle.

"_Rivalry? There's no rivalry, Sayomi-sama,_" Fuyukaze snorted arrogantly. "_It's been proven who the stronger of us is. It's not my fault that stubborn, prideful idiot can't accept that I'm better than him_."

"You two didn't cause too much trouble for poor Byakuya, did you?" She inquired, casting a reproachful look up at him.

Sniffing in disdain, Fuyukaze replied, "_I was a perfect gentleman. That annoying flower boy on the other hand is another story._"

"And you two used to work together so well," she sighed wistfully.

"_Aren't you supposed to be resting, Sayomi-sama_?" Fuyukaze asked, pointedly ignoring her comment.

"I can leave, you know. Let you brood on your own for awhile." She sat up, eying him curiously.

He returned her stare for a moment before sighing and pulling her back to him so she could curl up beside him. "_What now, Sayomi-hime? This isn't exactly how things were supposed to turn out_."

"No, it isn't. For now I rest, heal, regain my strength. Then.. I don't really know. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see."

"_What your brother said, do you know what he meant_?" Fuyukaze inquired thoughtfully.

She shook her head, frowning pensively. "I don't, but I feel like I'm forgetting something..."

Fuyukaze was quiet, brushing some of Sayomi's hair from her face before he rested his cheek against her head. "_He never told you stories when he tucked you in as a child_?" He inquired after a few minutes.

Humming, Sayomi blinked her eyes open. She had been nearly asleep when Fuyukaze had spoken. "Stories? No, he never told me stories when I would go to bed as a child."

"_Well, what would he tell you_?" Fuyukaze inquired softly.

"I don't remember, Fuyu, I was a child," she answered dismissively while adjusting her position beside him. Her eyes closed and she was intending to sleep, safe and warm, beside him.

"_But, little Sayomi-hime.. Why would he tell you to remember what he used to tell you every night if he didn't think you would remember?_"

"What are you talking about, Fuyu? I'm trying to sleep."

The man sighed, beginning to absently stroke Sayomi's hair that was resting on her back. "_Alright, little one, you rest. Don't worry about the future, I'll always be by your side to help protect you from all the monsters in the world._"

Sayomi jolted, sitting upright and blinking at the white haired, blue eyed man. "What.. What did you just say?"

"_That I would always be by your side, Sayomi-sama_," Fuyukaze replied uncertainly, the look on her face was unsettling.

"After that," Sayomi prompted urgently.

"_Sayomi-sama, are you_-"

"What did you say, Fuyu?" Sayomi pressed.

"_That I would always help protect you from all of the monsters in the world_," Fuyu answered. "_Is everything alright, little hime? You look as if you've seen a ghost. You know I will always be by your side, I have always said so and I have never lied to you."_

It felt as if her heart had stopped beating and the entire world had opened beneath her. She finally understood. Not only what Fuyukaze had been talking about with his questions regarding her brother, but what her brother had meant.

"_Sayomi-sama_?"

She blinked up at Fuyukaze, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. "I... I know what Gin's doing."

Fuyukaze's snowy brows drew together. "_What do you mean_?"

"He's trying to kill Aizen," she replied slowly, a note of slight note of horror in her voice.

"_Kill Aizen? Little one, you're not making sense_."

"When I was little Gin would tell me the same thing every single night before I went to sleep. It was this routine we had.. When he said to remember what he used to tell me while on the Sokyoku Hill, I wasn't thinking clearly... I didn't know what he meant."

Fuyukaze gently took Sayomi's face gently in his hands, she had been staring vacantly down at her hands, but now he could look into her eyes. "_What was it he used to tell you, Sayomi_?"

Sayomi smiled. "That he would always protect me from monsters. As I grew older I started to say that I could protect myself, but he would sigh and say that he was the big brother it was his job to protect me. I would tell him he was always going to be my big brother, but what about when I was older? He couldn't tuck me in and protect me forever. Gin would ruffle my hair and say "It doesn't matter how old you get, how big you get, or how strong you get, kid. All that matters is you're never alone because you'll always have me. I'll always protect you. Whether it's from the monsters in your dreams or from the real ones out here, I will protect you, because", I would always cut in and finish for him. "Because you're the big brother." He was telling me to remember that he would always protect me. I asked him what side he was on and that was his answer."

"_I don't see how that means he's trying to kill Aizen_."

"Gin has a way of saying things without actually saying them. He promised to take care of me, to protect me from monsters. Aizen is a monster, I've voiced that opinion in the past. What better way to protect someone from a monster than to kill the monster? You don't look convinced, Fuyu," Sayomi observed, noticing the frown on her companion's face. "Then let me remind you what else Gin said... He said that we would both keep our promise. Not promises, but promise. He was telling me that we have made the same promise at some point. There was only one promise that I can think of that ties in to what Gin used to tell me. You should know what that is."

He stared at her quizzically for a moment before his eyes cleared and nodded in understanding. "_You said you would kill Aizen. That you would kill the monster. That's what you had decided after you decided you wouldn't kill Gin." _Pausing,Fuyukaze sighed. "_This means you're going to be causing trouble again, doesn't it? You won't just let your brother handle the monster, you're too stubborn_."

"And Aizen isn't someone that either of us can handle alone." Sayomi smiled reassuringly while consolingly patting Fuyukaze's leg. "Well, you already knew I was troublesome, Fuyu. So this can't be that much of a surprise. I'll try not to get myself killed, though, I promise."

"_Just go back to sleep, Sayomi-sama_," Fuyukaze requested wanly. "_You're going to need your strength for all of the trouble you're likely going to cause while trying not to get yourself killed_."

"Poor, Fuyukaze," Sayomi teased lightly. "At least you're not stuck with Senbonzakura anymore."

"_You're giving me a headache, Sayomi-sama. Please just go to sleep._"

Chuckling, Sayomi curled back up against Fuyukaze. "Don't worry so much, Fuyu. This is one fight I don't plan on fighting alone."

Sayomi awoke alone in her room. Orihime was gone, likely back in the room that had been reserved for her there in Los Noches. Pushing herself up and groaning at the tightness she could feel throughout her body from her recently healed injuries, and the time she had spent immobile, she put her bare feet onto the cold flooring and slowly stood up. The room was dark except for the light of the ever shining moon that filtered in through the window behind the bed.

Deciding to take a shower to help relieve the tension in her muscles, Sayomi made her way to the bathroom, peeling off the clean white robe that she wore and letting it fall to the floor carelessly as she walked. The hot water of the shower proved to be just what she needed, she felt more awake and much less tense as the water washed over her. When she stepped out of the shower she toweled herself off before wrapping the plush white fabric around her body.

"What do you want?" She asked coldly as she stepped out of the bathroom, not even bothering to look at the tall figure that was leaning against the wall by the door that led into her bedroom.

"A thank you would be nice," a masculine voice grunted in reply.

"You expect me to thank you, Grimmjow?" Sayomi asked acerbically as she let the towel that covered her fall to the floor when she stepped up to the closet, her back to Grimmjow. "You didn't do anything because you wanted to, you did only what you were told. There's no reason for me to thank you for that."

Glaring at her bare back, Grimmjow snorted and turned away. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" She questioned in mock sweetness, turning her head to smile at him over her shoulder as she slipped on a pair of white hakama before grabbing a white backless halter top with a high collar and pulling it over her head. "Aizen told you to let me leave with Orihime, didn't he? He also told you to help Gin retrieve me from Soul Society. So are you sure I don't know what I'm talking about?" She turned toward him, smoothing out her shirt as she did so. "I'm pretty sure you're just another obedient little-"

Grimmjow growled, stepping forward and pushing Sayomi back against the wall roughly. She returned his angry glare with a calm, cool, and knowing smile.

"Hit a nerve there, did I?" She taunted casually.

Grimmjow leaned over Sayomi, his face almost touching hers, his hands on either side of her head. He could feel the heat of her body, the warmth of her breath on his chest as she stared up at him with her placid blue eyes. "You should know better than anyone that obedience has nothing to do with it. I don't give a shit about Aizen and you know it, but I'm not an idiot either."

She stared up at him for a moment before blinking and looking away with a sigh. "Fair enough. Why are you here? I doubt it was to tell me how happy you are that I'm back so that I can kick your ass some more."

"Aizen wants to see you," he answered, pushing himself away from her and shoving his hands in his pockets. He continued glaring at the white haired woman as she grabbed black socks and a pair of heeled boots.

"Does he now?" Sayomi replied blandly. "What if I don't want to go?"

"Do you think you have a choice?" He countered. He was expecting a fight, some sort of argument, but he didn't get it. Sayomi hid a flinch at his words and her eyes that had been relatively clear clouded. "Lets go," he growled menacingly.

Sayomi slipped on the heeled boots before responding. "Lead the way," she replied with a mocking smile while waving a hand towards the door.

She followed calmly a few steps behind the angered Grimmjow who had his hands jammed into his pockets. When she stepped into the same room that she had been taken after failing the first mission she had been given she kept up a blank facade and moved towards the giant balcony where Aizen stood with Gin. Grimmjow was still at her side and she couldn't help but wonder if he was there to make sure she didn't try to attack anyone, or possibly because she might be attacked. Walking to her brother's side Sayomi blankly met Aizen's brown eyes.

"You look well, Sayomi, I'm glad," the man said, smiling at her in an attempt to seem caring.

Sayomi lifted a white brow, but didn't say anything as she continued to stare evenly at Aizen.

"You've figured it out, haven't you? Why I had you see an illusion of Gin's dead body? Why I had Ulquiorra attack and why I allowed you to leave with Orihime?" Aizen asked, smirking at her. It was clear he was amused by the hell he had put her through.

"You wanted me out of the gigai and you wanted me to be seen as a traitor when you sent Gin to save me from Soul Society," she answered blandly.

"You are a traitor, Sayomi. Or have you forgotten everything you've done and all of the people you've abandoned?" Aizen replied.

"I haven't forgotten anything. You, on the other hand, have," she replied tersely, smiling coldly.

This act of defiance, of strength, only further amused Aizen. "And what have I forgotten, Sayomi?"

"What it means to believe in someone. I wasn't going to be executed in Soul Society. There was debate about whether or not I was traitor, but the general consensus was that I was not. The execution was just a ploy to see if you would send any of your little minions. I was going to help capture them, despite everything that had happened people believed in me. People you would have me believe hated me, saved me."

Aizen's brow rose. "Little good it seems to have done them, but you have been quite a disappointment lately."

Gin's hand was suddenly on her shoulder as she prepared to lunge at the smirking brown haired man across from her. "Now, now, why don't we all just calm down."

Shaking Gin's hand off of her shoulder, she stepped up to Aizen. "Disappointment or not, don't think you'll have me, because you won't." She made to turn and walk away but her wrist was grabbed in a crushing grasp and she was pulled around and forced against Aizen's chest.

Leaning down so that his breath could splash across her neck, Aizen whispered into her ear. "I don't need to think, Sayomi, because I know I will have you." Releasing her wrist, he smiled down at her. "You must be hungry. Gin, why don't you have the food brought in now."

Gin bowed, his grin frozen in place as he turned to do Aizen's biding. Grimmjow followed after the grinning man, he knew he wasn't wanted on the balcony anymore and he had no desire to be there either.

"I admire your stubbornness, but you will either agree to be my queen or it won't be you that suffers, but everyone you have ever cared about," Aizen told her.

"You will never touch me," she hissed.

Aizen smiled at her again, nodding to Grimmjow who had gone to stand by the door. Sayomi's eyes widened when Grimmjow opened the door and Orihime was pulled roughly inside the door by Ulquiorra. The young teenager was frightened as she looked around the room and was brought to stand in front of Sayomi and Aizen.

"Hello, Orihime. Sorry to have disturbed you, but I'm afraid-"

Sayomi growled, her spiritual pressure sky rocketing suddenly as she turned to Aizen. She tried to call out Fuyukaze, but nothing happened. Her bracelet remained on her wrist. There was a chill that went up her arm as if Fuyukaze was protesting against not being released, about not being able to help her, to protect her. She didn't even have time to be confused as her spiritual pressure suddenly disappeared and she was left standing wide eyed and shocked at Aizen's side.

"Your powers will do you no good anywhere in Los Noches. Szayel was able to study your unique spiritual energy when you fought against me and was then able to program every room in the entirety of Los Noches to reject it," Aizen explained to her. "That was another reason I chose to have you see me kill Gin, I needed you to display your powers for me."

All Sayomi could do was gape at him and then blink down at Fuyukaze. She was utterly powerless and she in no way liked the feeling that left her with.

"You know what you have to do, Sayomi," Aizen said, leaning over her shoulder and brushing some of her hair from her face. "Or would you rather watch your friend die? She'll only be the first, I wonder who should be second?"

It was at the moment as Aizen mused over who he would kill after Orihime that the very foundations of Los Noches were shaken by several intense spiritual pressures. Both Orihime and Sayomi looked out over the endless night of Hueco Muendo, both knowing that the spirit pressures belonged to none other than Ichigo, Uryu, and Chad.

"Well, it seems I'll have plenty of people to chose from. Sorry about this, Orihime, it's nothing personal," Aizen told the girl that was now shaking with fear as he drew his sword.

Sayomi couldn't move or even speak as she watched Aizen lash out at Orihime. There was a sound like cloth tearing as his sword ripped through her friend's neck and blood stained the white tiles. Choking on a sob as she watched Orihime's body slowly fall to the ground, Sayomi moved to catch her, but was stopped when Aizen grabbed her arm.

"Let me go, you bastard," she yelled, tears welling up in her eyes at the sight of the innocent girl whose death she had caused.

"No, you will watch her die and you will know that you could have prevented it, but didn't."

"Orihime, I'm so sorry," Sayomi said, raising a hand to her mouth. She felt sick, weak, and helpless as she stared down at the beautiful life she was responsible for ending.

"Sorry, for what?"

Sayomi's head snapped up and the bloody mess on the floor was gone, Orihime stood confused and frightened beside Ulquiorra, watching her with unease.

"That was a warning, Sayomi. I'll give you one last chance before I kill the girl for real," Aizen leaned over her to say, his hands on her shaking shoulders.

"I'm going to enjoy watching you die," Sayomi growled shakily, refusing to give into the rising panic within her. Roughly pulling her shoulder from Aizen's grasp, she stepped away from him and glared defiantly at him. "You can keep me here as long as you want. You can make me witness all of the deaths you want, but they will do nothing but make me hate you more. Hate is a very powerful thing, Aizen. So go ahead and start destroying everything I love. It will only make me more determined to see you die, preferably at the end of my sword. You will never have me. You will never touch me."

Sayomi bit back a cry of pain and motioned for Orihime to stay put, the red head girl had stepped forward when Aizen had wrapped his hand around Sayomi's throat and pushed her harshly into the wall behind her. Meeting Aizen's eyes coolly Sayomi remained at ease as his hand tightened around her throat.

"There is a breaking point for all things, Sayomi, that includes you," Aizen said.

"Maybe so, but what good is a broken woman to a man who wants to rule in a throne that sits upon the heavens?" Sayomi countered.

Gin chose that moment to walk back into the room followed by several servants pushing trays of food. He cocked his head at the people on the balcony and watched as Aizen released Sayomi from his grasp. The woman staggered, but stayed standing, holding herself upright with as much of a stubborn sense of pride and nobility as her ragged breaths would allow. Sighing, Gin motioned for the servants to leave the food and walked to Sayomi.

"This just won't do," he said reprovingly, tilting her chin up to see the bruises that were already beginning to form on the pale skin of her throat. "Look at her, she's a mess. I'll take her to her room and have some food brought there for her. She should be resting, after all, not causing trouble even though she is good at it."

"That's a good idea, Gin. She's had a very trying week," Aizen agreed.

Sayomi let Gin begin to lead her away, but paused when Aizen said her name.

"If something is broken, it can be fixed and altered to better suit its purpose."

There was no point in replying, she had said all she had wanted to say, so she let him have the last word as Gin continued to lead her out of the room.

When they reached her room Sayomi turned to Gin and sighed. "I remembered. The story you told me as a kid. You only ever told me the one."

Gin shrugged. "It was the only one I knew."

Plopping down on to the couch, she placed her hand lightly against her neck. Her palm was cool against the hot, painful flesh. "Did you figure out the ending? There wasn't one when I was a kid. At least not a very satisfying one. Kids like happy endings where everyone lives happily ever after, you should have ended it like that."

"But happy endings aren't always realistic. You were an impressionable kid, I didn't want to put ideas in your head," Gin replied, ruffling her hair as he sat beside her on the couch. "I didn't want you thinking every little girl grew up to be a princess that married the handsome prince after he swept her off her feet. The real world doesn't usually work that way."

"Sometimes it does," she said softly. "I was adopted by a noble family and engaged to a handsome noble. I may not be a real princess and he may not be a real prince, but still.. Sometimes the unexpected happens and sometimes that prince does come and sweep his princess off her feet."

"It's not impossible," Gin conceded. "But what would the big brother do then?"

Sayomi glanced over at him thoughtfully for a moment. Finally she sighed and smiled gently. "He'll always be the big brother, she'll never forget that. She'll know she's never alone, just like he won't ever be alone. They'll always help each other and work together to make their dreams come true. Isn't that how fairytales work?"

"Maybe it is, but this is no fairytale," Gin sighed.

They both fell silent, Sayomi leaning her head against Gin's shoulder. There was no telling how the next several days would play out. No knowing if Ichigo, Uryu, and Chad would survive their trip into Hueco Muendo, the odds were stacked heavily against them after all. Orihime's fate was uncertain if she wasn't rescued by Ichigo and the others, there was no telling what Aizen would do with her. Her abilities were useful, but that didn't ensure her survival.

Then there was herself. Sayomi's brazen, defiant, and very dangerous refusal to be Aizen's pet queen left her with no idea what to do next. If the man tried to break her, killed those she loved in front of her, could she really not break? Could she keep her sanity and her pride while knowing she was responsible for their deaths?

Aizen wasn't her only concern. She was living in his domain alongside his minions who would kill her for less than simply talking back to their high and mighty leader. Without being able to release Fuyukaze she was practically defenseless while inside of Los Noches. While her brother would protect her as best he could, there was only so much he could truly protect her from without causing himself more trouble than necessary. She was walking on coals and with each defiant act they were only going to get hotter until they destroyed her.

"What should I do, Gin?" She inquired quietly.

"You're not a kid anymore, Sayomi," he replied, patting her head gently. "That's something you need to decide on your own."

"How helpful," she muttered.

"Hey, it's not like you'd listen to me anyways."

She gave a small shrug. "Probably true. I just walked myself right into a corner, though, and now I'm stuck there. I don't want to be the reason my friends are hurt and I'd like to have faith in them, but.. Things aren't like they are in the fairytales. The heroes don't always win. The prince doesn't always rescue his princess from the villain... I can't leave things like they are, Gin. I need to do something."

* * *

><p>~AN~

Hello hello. This chapter didn't turn out quite how I wanted it to, but it works. I wanted it longer, but I also wanted it to end where, and how, it did. I'm hoping to get this story finished up pretty quickly, but it's finals week and I'm, hopefully, going to be starting a new job here soon so my free time might go from sparing to nonexistent. We'll see.

Anywho, in other news I have created a Facebook page under the name of Rukia Twenty-Three (typed in just like so), I'll be attempting to keep updates and little insights on there if anyone is interested in "liking" said page. As always thank you all for your support!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of my dear readers, reviewers, favoriters, and followers. You are awesomeness.

Now pretty please leave a cookie for the review monster? :)


End file.
